


Love's Not Void: Common Route- Book 1 Part 1

by BlackenShadowCat



Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Book 1 Part 1, Common Route, First book of series, Foster-family talk, Humor, OCxvarious - Freeform, Other, Romance/Bromance, Song Lyrics, Sorry Not Sorry, This part is FINISHED, corny and possibly cliche beginning, family-issues, one girl in a world of men, was origonally a RaixOC but changed it later, will get better as you read, you choose your own path
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-03 02:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 21,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5272358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackenShadowCat/pseuds/BlackenShadowCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kimberly loves Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-. She loves it so much that she knows the characters, better than she knows herself. So, what happens when she's suddenly sucked into the world she loves so much? </p><p>Can she adapt to her new surroundings? And why was she sent there to begin with? What roll does she play?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Author’s Note:

This story was originally supposed to be a RaixOC story. But I decided against it. Sorry for the hints of RaixOC. I was too lazy to edit them. Besides, they’re too cute Y_Y

This is the Common Route, which means this not only gets you familiar with the story, but it makes you attached to the characters. Later, when you’re finished with the Common Route, you will decide which Route you want to take relation-ship wise. And…hehe…there are MANY. If I didn’t make that abundantly clear…

The other stories in this series are going to be different Routes. Therefore, the story for each story (Books 2-9) will very on the choices you make! Think of Book 1 as the…tester? Idk what I’m babbling about. More than half of you probably skipped this note already. I would have.  
For those who are still reading, you have the patience of a god. 

All rights reserved. We do not own anything but the storylines, and the OC. 

Thank you!

<3 Cat


	2. Chapter 1

Anime; what’s not to love about it? The exaggerated emotions, the epic fight scenes, the hilarious moments, sad scenes that make you cry your heart out, the suspenseful moments, and the tragic moments. What’s listed makes an anime, an anime. Not to mention, all of this is shown by amazing art!

This is how Kimberly feels- or Kitty, as she’s often called by friends. 

Kitty isn’t too special. She was a high schooler, part-time dog-sitter, and an anime lover at heart. She had many friends, though most of them were either at school or ‘friends’ on Facebook. Basically, she was your average 17 year old girl.

Though, her life was rather plain. As sad as it is, anime was the highlight of her day. Watching it kept her from going insane. Well, her phone did the trick as well. Then again, isn’t that every 17 year old? 

However, unlike every 17 year old, she was without many things. Naming a few: a boyfriend, a car, and biological parents. Socializing has always been a task, but not for the reasons you believe. Everyone saw Kimberly as the odd one out. She was ‘that weird girl’ that would rather sit in the back of class, and daydream. Kitty was an outcast in this world of hers. 

And she wished to change that. More than anything, she wanted to fit in. For once, she wanted to walk up to someone, and not feel awkward. She wanted to be friends with someone who understood her- or at least tried to. But it was difficult. 

She needed a miracle. 

Kimberly was currently in bed. After binge watching her favorite anime named Lamento Beyond the Void, she knew she needed to get some sleep. It was 2am as it was, and she was exhausted.   
Lamento was probably one of the least popular animes out there. It was more like a videogame, but an anime one nonetheless. Kitty didn’t mind. She loved it! To the characters down to the plot itself, she thought it was the best thing since the day she discovered anime. 

Her daydreams often consisted of Lamento Beyond the Void. She wanted to know what it was like to live in a world like that- to know that the only way to survive, was to fight. The idea thrilled and scared her. Even in sleep, it had a tendency of making rounds in her mind. 

Kitty rolled over, her eyes cracking open. Across the way was her desk, with her computer on top. From here, she could see that it was still open…but why was it turned on? She knew that she turned it off before she fell asleep. She always does. 

‘Kimberly…’

The girl sat up and looked around. No matter where she looked, her eyes found their way back to the lap-top. The light that came from it was obnoxiously bright- but that could be because she was in a dark room. 

The entirely white screen flickered, changing colors every now and again. But that’s not what caught her eye. She could see something shine behind the white. She couldn’t detect exactly what it was. But it looked like some kind of scenery. 

‘Kimberly. Get to your feet.’

She blindly obeyed, her eyes still glued onto the computer in front of her. The longer she stared, the longer she appeared to be in a trance. All her mind could process was ‘touch it. Touch the screen’. 

‘Walk.’

Like clockwork, her legs began to move. Step after step, she got closer to the computer. Soon enough, she was standing directly in front of it.

‘Reach out. Touch the light.’

Her arm raised with the thought of completing the task, but then she stopped herself. Her hand backed away, and a long frown appeared on her face.

‘You doubt me? This is what you want. Now, touch the screen. Do it.’

Kimberly’s eyebrows furrowed. Her hand came closer to her lap-top, until the fingertips were centimeters from the screen. And finally, she touched it.

‘Good girl.’

~

She opened her eyes slowly. A small groan coming out of her mouth, as she looked up at the dark starry sky. 

“My…back,” she wheezed. 

Her hazy sight became clear. She could see that she was outside, and could even hear the sounds of nature. And when she sat up, Kimberly noticed something she hadn’t before.   
She was surrounded by men in long dark cloaks. Their faces were covered, only leaving strands of hair or their eyes. Sometimes, you couldn’t even see that. 

At the moment, there were five of them. They were standing in a circle, with her smack-dab in the middle. With closer examination, she knew that she had to be someplace remote. There was nothing but grass and trees in sight. 

“We must have done something wrong,” one spoke.

Meanwhile, the person in front of her knelt down. His sharp, surprisingly glowing, eyes gazed into Kimberly’s face. 

“What is it? It isn’t a cat, that’s for sure.”

Cat? Did he just say…cat?


	3. Chapter 3:

Call her crazy, but normal people don’t refer to a person as a cat. Unless of course, she was in Lamento. But that would be impossible, because Lamento Beyond the Void wasn’t real.

The girl’s face sank with the thought. She quickly stood up, making the circle of cats gasp out of surprise. Some of them took a step or two back, while others looked ready to attack. 

“What the hell are you guys talking about? Where am I? How did I get here?” 

They all looked at each other. The person behind her was the first to say anything- or chuckle for that matter.

“You are a curious little thing. So many questions…” 

Thing? THING? Kimberly has been called numerous names, but never a ‘thing’. 

“Well, this ‘thing’ is still waiting for the answers, jackass!”

The group of people suddenly began to close in on her. Slowly and eerily, she could see most of them grinning. A mysterious, evil, aura surrounded each stranger. It was like she were their pray, and they were her hunters.

“It is no devil, but it will make an exquisite sacrifice,” one of them mused. 

Devil? Sacrifice?! Oh HELL no!

A rush of adrenaline came over her. Turning heel, she darted. Pushing past at least three would-be attackers, Kimberly jotted down the broad strip of land. She came close to the forest, and then was pushed down.  
Someone loomed over her, and attempted to restrain her movements. The girl kicked and shoved, trying to get him off. In the mist of this, she could have sworn she heard hissing. But that didn’t matter right now. All she wanted to do was get him off of her- one way or another. 

“Get off me you creep!” 

Kitty’s fist balled up, and drew back. Before her mind could process her actions, her fist collided with the man’s face. 

“Ah!” 

He stumbled backwards, landing on his rear. The force caused his hood to fall to his shoulders, revealing his brown hair and…cat ears. That isn’t even a metaphor. Kimberly was looking at someone who had CAT ears!

So…she WAS in Lamento! There’s no other explanation! Even if she were dreaming, she was standing before Meiji. That explains the cloaks, obvious devil worship, and sacrifice talk… This went so far as to cover the brief ‘she’s not a cat’ comment. 

“Y-you’re Ribika!?”

Everyone stared at her weirdly. As if the answer was obvious, they remained silent. 

“I think there’s been a mistake.” Kimberly stood up and outstretched her arms. She slowly turned around, giving everyone a good look at her appearance. “See? I’m not a cat. I’m a…um…Two Canes.” 

Nobody asked for proof. Apparently, the profile was good enough. Everyone dropped to their knees, seemingly bowing before Kimberly. 

Bowing? Before HER? She wasn’t royalty- far from it. But when they bowed, it made her feel so…powerful! She could probably order them around like trained kittens. But, as tempting as that would be, doing something like that would feel wrong. So instead, Kitty pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What are you doing? Get up, Jesus Christ.”

They did as she asked. The shortest, and suggestively youngest cat here, spoke up. His voice was quiet and timid, like he was talking to a deity.

“Are you really a great ancestral being? If so…may I inquire about your presence?” 

The girl shrugged. She ran her fingers through her hair, and took a deep breath in. 

“Jeeze, I don’t know. One moment I’m in bed, and the next, I’m here.” 

She’s not lying. Apart from keeping the whole ‘I was sucked through my computer’ thing secret, that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t like they would know what a lap-top is anyway. They live like the Amish from the late 1700s. They haven’t even heard of electricity, much less computers.

“This is a sign,” someone says. “The Gods must have sent you to us.” 

Oh fuck, Kimberly mentally hissed. 

“As fantastic as that sounds, I should be on my way.” She took a step towards the forest, but didn’t get far.

Someone gripped her arm. 

“We can’t let you leave just yet. But if you give us, say, a lock of hair?” 

Hair? They want some of her hair? 

Her instincts told her no. they told her this was a terrible idea. In fact, she herself wasn’t too keen with this trade. Yet, she was in no place to disagree. It was either this and be on her way, or something worse would happen. It was easier if she went along with it. 

Kitty held her hand out expectantly, and felt a knife being set in her palm. Using the blade, she cut off a piece towards the back of her head. 

“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…” She sighed through her nose and handed the thick stand to one of the Meiji. “There. Happy?” 

The person who received the hair smiled. He nodded a few times, and flicked his hand to a side. The motion ordered the rest of the Cats to stand down, and part like the Red Sea.

“Have safe journeys, Two Canines.” 

The girl ignored him completely and went on her way. She looked up at the forest, her eyes darting through branches and leaves. In that moment, she prayed to God that she arrived in Lamento, AFTER Leaks was defeated. If not, she has the Void to look out for. 

If that happened- oh happy day…

~

“Into the woods, it’s time to go, I hate to leave, I have to go. Into the woods- it's time, and so I must begin my journey. Into the woods, and through the trees, to where I am expected ma'am, into the woods to Grandmother's house~! Into the woods to-”

Something made her stop in the middle of her song. She paused and stood very still. 

She felt eyes on her. They watched her every movement, with intensity Kimberly could clearly feel. They didn’t feel harmful, but the feeling was enough to shake her. 

For a reason unknown to her, only one name came to mind. It was the name of a presumed-to-be-dead character; one of her favorite characters, in fact. 

“Firi?”

A figure dropped out of the trees. Much to her pleasure, she guessed right.

“Ah~ heard of me?” 

Firi stood about a yard away, with his hands firmly at the base of his hips. His silver-ish blonde-ish hair looked just like his appearance in the videogame. He was dressed in his typical jester/clown outfit, which consisted of two main colors: red and black. 

Firi looked at Kitty with a smile. He studied her while he had the chance. Though he tried to do it discreetly, his wandering eyes couldn’t be helped.  
“Something like that,” the human finally replied. 

“That makes me so happy,” he says. His voice is low and soft, and his eyes briefly fall to the ground. “Oh, that’s right~ I have some news to share!” 

Old habits die hard. Firi is still the messenger. 

The jester look-alike approached her a little, his eyes warm but…empty. It must be the result of what happened in the end of times. This boy deserved so much better. Nonetheless, it’s nice that he can still be his old self, despite what he’s been though. That right there says how strong he is. 

Kitty nodded and sat down. She figured she might as well. This can go either two ways: the news is going to be short and sweet, or will need a lot of explaining. Let’s not fail to mention the fact that she’s been walking for- what- an hour now? Her feet were killing her!

“Those nice people from earlier? They might have looked pleasant, but Meiji will still be Meiji. I suspect you were already suspicious of their actions. So allow me to put your thoughts to rest: they intend to USE your hair.” 

Use? As in- in a ritual use? 

Damn. Why doesn’t Kimberly ever listen to her gut?! She had such good instincts, and she never uses them correctly. 

“There wasn’t much that could have been done,” Kitty mumbled. “They probably would have taken it by force- or worse.”

The boy nods. He looks down at her with sympathy, and then reaches down to pat her head. His fingers smoothed down her hair afterwards, and a smile returned to his face. 

“That’s true. But now I think it’s best if we be on our way. The forest is an unpleasant place to be at night.” 

Can’t agree any more with that. It will be dark, cold, and thieves are bound to show up sooner or later. 

“Before I leave…” Firi reaches to his belt, drawing his dagger. Flipping it over, he gives the handle side to Kimberly. “For protection, of course.”

But…it was his dagger. It was one of the things that made his character! He was going to hand it to Kimberly just like that? 

“Really?” She hesitantly took it from him.

“Yes. Be safe. And if you feel the need to continue singing, please do!” 

In a bound, he disappears in mid-air. Red and white particles fall from where he once was, decorating the forest ground. With the wind, they vanished- and so Kimberly assumed Firi vanished as well. 

~

She began to walk farther into the forest, and looked up to see the sun rising.

My mistake. It wasn’t a sun. It was a ‘moon’. According to legend, the sun fell from the sky and landed in the ocean. So, basically the sun exploded and the apocalypse happened.

Apparently, the Gods were fed up with us humans. So they decided to kill all mankind, and replace us with Nikos; a race no better than ‘Two Canes’. They were like humans, with the exception of the cat part. They think, they feel, they reason, they sin- they live, and they even die. If it weren’t for the appearance, humans and Ribika would be the same race. 

“I’m so hungry,” Kitty whined.  
Her hand dives into her pajama pockets, where she looks for food. Well, the only type of food she’ll find are mints, or popcorn left-overs from last night. But anything was better than nothing. At this point, she’ll happily gnaw on her finger nails. 

Kimberly drew back her hand, and looked down at what she had. It was a stick of peppermint gum and half a Pocky stick. The gum was fine, but the Pocky was questionable… Should she even chance it? 

“Fuck it.” 

She ate the Pocky first like she normally would. She bit her way to the chocolate-dipped half, and sighed in satisfaction. If not a little stale, it was perfectly fine. It didn’t even taste weird. 

The gum, her mind reminded her. 

Quickly unwrapping it, she mowed the stick of gum down. Thank God for this, because she hasn’t brushed her teeth all morning…

Knowing that she had another pocket, Kitty’s other hand reached into it. Being the deeper pocket, which reached past her knee-cap, she had to actually lean to a side. But she was ever-so happy to NOT find food.

“My phone!” 

Taking it into her hands, she ran a thumb over the screen. It was smudged, but not broken. There was a small scratch on the glass, but that was there before. 

She bit her lower lip as she tried to turn the phone on. Like she had hoped, the device came to life. 

“Still 80% battery,” Kimberly whispered. Her finger slid across the screen, allowing her to see her notifications. 

3 missed calls and 12 messages… Can she return her messages or call people from here? And if she could- does she want to? 

Going into her messages, she saw that the majority of missed texts were from friends. They were asking where she was, and if they could meet up at the movies. Unfortunately, her family hasn’t attempted to contact her yet. Her teachers have, though. They were asking why she skipped class, and if she was stick. 

She’s stick all right. She’s sick of this bullshit. She’s sick of having a family that doesn’t care where she is, she’s stick of friends that only talk to her if they make plans- she’s sick of it. 

Honestly, it didn’t matter if this wasn’t real or not. These were her feelings no matter how you looked at it. Something needs to change. 

Going into a Mass-Text, she titled it: Sorry. Then she sent three words to her friends, and to her teachers.

‘Kitty is dead.’

Done. 

She chose this. She got herself into this mess, and knew that she wouldn’t be back. She’d never be able to go back home. It was easier to accept the fact than to lie to everyone- including herself.  
Besides, there’s nothing left for her back home. She spent her days on Facebook and watching anime for crying out loud! If her life was going to be with a computer, then it wasn’t a life at all. 

This was it: her second chance. This is the thing she’s been waiting for all these years. It was time.

CRACK


	4. Chapter 3:

Spinning at the sound of the noise, Kimberly turned her phone off. She shoved it in her pants pocket, just in time to see two figures step out of the thick trees. Both were strangers, and were much older than her. 

The one to the left hummed in thought. His hazel Cat-eyes assessed his surroundings, checking to see if anyone else was nearby. When his mind was made up, he fearlessly took another step closer. 

“Oh~. What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this? It’s dangerous for girls to wonder off alone, don’t you know?”

The other more silent one stared at Kitty. He wore a chilling grin, and drew a lasso from his waist. His partner- the one that spoke- drew a long sword. In the light, the blade gave off a reflection, sending a chill up her spine. 

These taints meant business. What were they? Rapists, traffickers, rapists, or looters? It didn’t matter. No matter what or who they were, Kimberly was in trouble. She needed to do something! She couldn’t stand here like a twat. 

Getting into a very wrong position, she drew Firi’s dagger. Her legs were far apart, she stood head on, and her unarmed hand was facing outward. 

This isn’t right, thought she. 

Turning her posture in a correct stance, she stood up straighter. She awkwardly cleared her throat, and raised her chin. Truth be told, Kimberly had no idea what she was doing. And I’m sure you could see that by now. 

She knew how to kick…and scream…and sock a dude in the face. But that’s all she knew. She never really paid attention in gym that week… Then again, when does she ever pay attention in gym class? 

Alright, just do what Rai does. Position the gravity to the right, hold an aggressive stance, position your weapon outward, and don’t forget to protect your face once in a while. She’ll exclude the ‘bare fangs and elongate claws’ technique- for obvious reasons. Her claws may be long, but they’re filed and quite fragile. 

Allowing them to make the first move, she sidestepped with a shriek.

Well, there goes her intimidation… 

The one with the lasso began to swing the rope’s noose, crouching low and keeping his eyes on Kitty. He looked at her like prey- a wild animal that needed to be tamed. 

The cat that attacked before suddenly charged again. Positioning Firi’s dagger outward, she promptly blocked the attack. Surprised, his eyes widened down at her. A confident smirk appeared on the girl’s face. Using his reaction to her advantage, she stomped on his foot, drawing her dagger closer to the handle. 

As he flinched, the dagger nicked his knuckles. Blood dripped from his hand, and his lips parted automatically to let out a cat-like hiss. 

The stun was enough to throw him off stance. It was wide open… This next shot will definitely give her victory. 

Putting all of her strength in her one leg, she kicked in between his legs. The cat dropped to his knees, wheezing and whining in agony. Though she was playing dirty, she had to finish it. So using her other leg, she spun-kicked him in the face.

PLOP

He was on the ground, out cold. 

Turning her gaze to the other opponent, he seemed to rethink his actions. Obviously he would, since it was a knife against a piece of rope. The only way he could win is if he could knock her out, or choke her to death. That was unlikely. Moreover, the cat appeared to be well aware of that. 

Dropping his hands, his eyes glanced over at his buddy. He looked back at Kimberly, his orbs growing in a pleading way. 

He was giving up? Fine. If he’s leaving peacefully, then let him leave. What a chicken shit… 

Having the okay, the silent Ribika slugged his friend over his shoulder. Casting one more glance to the human girl, she saw him grin. Whether it was an impressed gesture, or a thankful one, it was unclear. Nonetheless, he took off without any trouble. 

Ha! Haha! She made it out alive and unhurt! That was relieving. Her understanding was that Ribika were taught to fight at a young age. If she held her own against a grown, trained, warrior- she might live to see her face age after all! 

Letting her guard down with a grin, she put Firi’s dagger away. She tucked it between her pants and shirt, keeping it well-hidden. 

Ugh, all this fighting made her loose a slipper… Goddamn it. Where did it go? 

Turning, her eyes intended to scan the ground. However, she spotted brown boots. She followed the outline of the stranger, and flinched when realizing he was holding a sword inches from her neck. 

This sword… No. This person. She knows both all too well. Could it be…Rai? 

The white hair and icy blue eye confirmed her thoughts. His eye-patch hardly showed through his long tossed hair, so Kimberly couldn’t notice it right away. Honestly, it took her a moment to process the type of situation she was in. When it finally hit her, the girl’s lips slightly parted in shock. She attempted to speak, but couldn’t find anything to say.

“Why couldn’t you sense my presence? I made it abundantly clear.” His demanding voice, mixed with his beautifully distain-filled expression, sent a chill down Kitty’s spine. 

“I-I can’t! I’m Hu- er, Two Canes!” Throwing her hands up to level with her shoulders, she watched as Rai’s face sunk in thought. 

When the silence prolonged, she expected him to be doubtful. Kitty even expected him to order her to stay still, for an inspection. Yet, much to her astonishment, he lowered his weapon. 

“What are you doing here in the middle of the forest? Did you not think you were going to be attacked?” 

Why wasn’t he acting like the Meiji? They got on their knees and flat-out bowed before her. Perhaps his pride was too strong to show that kind of respect. Either he doesn’t believe her, or he’s still going to be an asshole to her. 

Kimberly lowered her hands, and looked off with a distant look. A smile crossed her lips upon thinking about her life if she claimed to be a “God”. 

She could see herself wearing a Wonder-woman outfit, garnished with a long exaggerated golden cape. Glitter surrounded her form, and cheers of people and cats alike were in the background. 

Yeah…as if. If she was to be ‘worshiped’, she’d do it in her pajamas watching TV. ‘Slave, hand me the popcorn.’ Heh, that sounds about right.

“Did you not hear me?” 

Blinking in surprise, Kimberly realized that she had completely ignored Rai. He gave her a scolding look, clear aggravation in his eyes. To match his mood, the cat’s tail waved in long arcs. 

“What? Did you say something?” 

“Tch…idiot.”

‘Fantastic. What a good message to send to one of the most well known Lamento characters! Now he thinks you are an idiot.’

“Nuuuh…” 

Rai’s eye widened, and his eyebrow raised. Giving her a funny look, he parroted the sarcastic, foreign, noise that let out of her mouth. 

“Nuuuh? What’s ‘nuuuh’?”

“You! ‘Nuuuh is you!”

Looking away from her, a grunt vibrated at the base of his throat. He put his sword away, crossing his arms after. 

“You are no threat. Your manners merely lack.” 

Great. Not only is she an idiot, but now she’s impolite too! Isn’t she just batting a thousand? 

Raising her hand to her head, Kimberly sighed. She used her fingers to massage the bridge of her nose. 

“That’s funny, really funny, considering I was using your strat-…”

No. She said nothing. Oh for the love of God, don’t ask. She’ll give her tongue and her baby phone, but please. Anything but-

“How do you know of my battle habits?”

FUCK. Why?! Couldn’t he have let it drop once in his life? 

Flustered, Kimberly searched her mind for an excuse; a believable one. Though she didn’t mean to say it, her voice had different plans. Speaking her mind without realizing it, she answered:

“I heard it…from Konoe.” 

Rai’s body froze. His tail, his eyes, his facial expression. It was like time froze long enough for him to take in the name, which she assumed was familiar. 

“You know Konoe?” 

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. Looking up for a moment, she watched the wind blow the green leaves above. 

“Know is such a strong word… Really, it’s unfitting in this case.”

“So you don’t know him?”

“Oh no, I know him. He just doesn’t know me.”

So now she was admitting she was a stalker? She’s done. She might as well dig her own grave and lay in it!

Taking a deep breath in, Rai looked her in the eye dominantly. He looked past her words, probably thinking them to be unimportant.

“How are you, as a species, alive? Are there more of you?” 

‘Good question! Let me quickly dump it into Google’s search bar and look it up, okay?’

Of course she didn’t know! Kimberly didn’t know how to properly answer this question. I mean, what if she gave him the wrong information?

“I’m the only one here, to my knowledge. I was also, um…summoned by the Meiji. But I’m not a devil, I swear! See?” She lifted her hair and spun around. “No horns!” 

Reaching out, Rai stopped her half way into turning around. His eye moved to her ear, which was pierced. I don’t think that’s what interested him though… He was looking at how it was shaped. 

“Strange,” he murmured. He used his hand to tilt her head to a side, to get a better look at her ear. “May I touch?”

Shrugging, she let out a winded casual pant. “Sure. Knock yourself out.” 

For a moment or two, he inspected her ear. His gloved fingers went over the texture of them, and experimentally folded it at one point. After a while, it started to feel weird. But she wasn’t complaining. She let him continue. After all, she said that he could. 

In Rai’s shoes, she would be curious as well. Who was she to deny him answers after he spared her life? In a way, she owed him. 

Drawing away from her, Rai hummed in interest. “You have no tail?” 

Kimberly smoothed down her hair and shook her head. “No, my species are born without them.” 

And finally, his eye traveled to her clothes. They scanned her somewhat judgingly, from her slippers to her pajamas. Her cupcake pajamas were dirtied with grass stains and mud, nonetheless were the only clothes she had. Her white fluffy slippers were completely brown by now, from roaming around the forest. She suspects her feet are dirty as well. The only items safe from the grime of the outdoors, were her headphones and phone. 

“Are you female, correct?”

Again, she nodded. “You seriously can’t tell?” 

Rai’s eyes momentarily closed. When he opened them again, they bore a familiar seriousness. 

“I believe I knew before. Your answer was to indorse my thoughts.”

Nodding, Kimberly understood. 

Females were scarce in this land. Most were killed and/or eaten, along with children. Yeah, nasty business, I know. But with The Void spreading like wildfire, people grew desperate for something- anything- to eat. Their stomachs turned towards their own kind. 

“What are these?” 

He boldly took her headphones from around her neck, but before he could bring it close enough, she felt her phone tug out of her pocket. Thankfully, she caught it in mid-air, and sighed with relief. 

“Careful, those are expensive.”

“What are they,” he repeated. This time, he seemed more impatient. 

Rai turned her headphones every which way, sniffing and inspecting it, as if an alien object. Before he licked them or attempted to take them apart, Kitty decided to reply:

“They make music…well, they don’t actually make music.” She unplugged her headphone cord from her phone, and held it up for Rai to see. “This creates music. My headphones are to help me hear the music, so nobody else can. It’s sort of like a tool.”

He looked up from the headphones, and gave it back to her. He treated them with care, figuring that they meant a lot to Kitty.

“Is this magic?” 

“No, it’s…science, I guess. It’s made from wires and batteries- which are solid objects. If you want, you can call it magic. I do.” 

Kimberly lifted her hair so her headphones would be underneath her locks, and plugged its cord back into her phone. She gently placed it back in her pocket, and gave Rai a silly smile. 

“Don’t get the wrong idea, though. They’re electric sound waves, not the real thing. So I don’t think they can be used in battle.”

Rai nodded once. Although he definitely didn’t 100% understand, he understood enough. Therefore, he didn’t push the issue any further. 

Jeeze, situations like this made one feel clever. She just taught Rai the power of music and headphones. It was like she was enlightening a child. It was a bit cute, really.


	5. Chapter 4:

“Where are you headed, Two Canes?” 

Okay. Kimberly knew that she’s the one who called herself ‘Two Canes’ in the first place- but after a while, that’s going to get old. Besides, what kind of name is that? It’s half-baked and difficult to say. Actually…it felt a little rude too. 

“I have a name,” the brunette huffed. “It’s Kimberly, or Kitty for short.” Gesturing to her surroundings, her lips pursed to a side, “And if you think I know exactly where I am, you’re sorely mistaken… Just look at this place. There are barely any noticeable landmarks.”

How was she supposed to know where she was anyway? The forest is full of identical trees and bushes. What did Rai expect from her? Did he think she’d stand here with a hand to her chin, and pretend to be some kind of a professional Ranger?

‘Hmm…yes, yes, I must be going the right way. I distinctly remember that pebble being under toe! Come on, let’s be real here.’

Kitty is a small-town loner and anime lover. The last time she’s been in the woods, she was 5 inches shorter, and riddled in Band Aids.

“You’re lost.”

‘Wow. Way to dumb it down…’

“Yes.” She farther deadpanned, a sigh escaping her lips. “Very lost.” 

Rai paced around the small area, keeping his guard high and suspicions on the down-low. If he didn’t believe Kitty, she’d be dead or injured by now. There’s no doubt about it. His qualms lied within their location. 

It was late; not dark out, but getting there. If they didn’t get out of here, the two buffoons from before might return…return with friends.

“Look, I obviously don’t have any bearings as to where I am. I know that you do! So if you could point me to North, I’ll be-”

Rai faced her slowly, but his gaze nearly split her in half. Since she has been doing most of the talking, he would be irritated. But that look was like him saying ‘stop talking or I’ll cut your tongue out’.

At this moment, her brain couldn’t choose to be scared or thankful for a reaction.

“Follow me.”

Kimberly blinked with surprise, unable to move right away. Even as he started to walk, she was having trouble comprehending his words. 

‘O-kay…*sigh*. To Neverland?’

Rushing after Rai, Kimberly struggled to keep up with his fast pace. However, despite the rush she was in, she managed to catch a figure in the corner of her eye. Before able to see who or what it was, it vanished. With little to nowhere to hide, all Kitty could do was furrow her brows, and keep moving. 

~

“Take a break.”

As the words left his mouth, Kimberly gasped for air. She sat down where she stood, and leaned her head back- as if it would help her condition.

“Where *pant* do you *pant* store all of your *pant* energy? Do you *pant* pump iron all day?” 

“No. I’m simply in shape.”

Great. So now he was calling her fat. 

A mocking snort came from the panting teenager. Though it was difficult to speak in full sentences, she was able to because she was no longer walking. 

“Forgive me Rai, the great and powerful bounty-hunter, if I’m 12 pounds overweight.”

Was it a crime to be a tad over the mark? Her society looked down upon those who had a little cushion for the pushing. If most of the people in her town took a survey, at least half of them would say they’d rather be underweight than overweight. But honestly, nothing was wrong with 10, 20, or even 30 extra pounds! As long as you’re healthy and not morbidly obese, it should be fine. 

“If you’ve had your rest, we should be moving along.”

‘Fuck. No.’ 

Kimberly held her hand in front of his face. “Stop. I’m not even close to catching my breath.”

With a small grimace, Rai moved her hand away from him. His tail swayed in annoyance, flicking at the tip. His fluffy white fur defied gravity, catching Kitty’s green eyes as it moved through the air. 

“What?” 

Looking away immediately, the girl shrugged. “Wha? Oh, nothing.”

His tail was far fluffier in real life. I mean, the game described it as fluffy- but damn! It had some volume to it!

“You were staring at my tail.” 

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Her words betrayed her when the human’s eyes moved back to Rai’s tail. It was still moving like before, only slower and in a less peeved way.

“Say what’s on your mind. Speak.”

“Your tail is pretty, that’s all.”

…

“Tch, idiot.” 

‘Tch, idiot’: Rai 2015.

So many insults and scoffing fazes…and it’s only been an hour. The sky was a New York minute away from being completely dark. If you looked closely, maybe squint your eyes as well, you could see one or two stars. Most of it was unfortunately concealed by leaves overhead and clouds. 

“Thanks for insulting me again. What’s this; the 20th time in-…”

No…way. She had to be hallucinating. That was NOT what she thought it was!

Running over to the tree, Kimberly got on her tippy-toes. She jumped, snatching a green apple off one of the branches. Smiling down at it, she turned to look at Rai. He stared at her blankly, not sure what to make of the scene before him. 

“I didn’t know that these grew around here. Why didn’t you tell me?!”

It’s been forever since she’s seen a green apple. Red apple? They were always in her kitchen growing up. She hated them, though. The only apples she could eat happily were the green ones. It’s been that way since birth. 

“I didn’t know that I was obligated to tell you anything,” Rai retorts. 

Kimberly shrugs, tossing an apple in his direction. He sees the apple hurling towards him and catches it with ease. Although the trick was impressive- especially considering he wasn’t looking her way- his eye looked down at it as if it were poison. 

“Ribika can’t eat them. If its food to you, collect it and let’s be on our way.” Putting it into his pocket, Rai was all-too eager to leave.

‘Duh. They can’t eat it because they’re cats. If they were dogs, I’m sure food wouldn’t be an issue at all.’

That’s not an understatement… Dogs will eat anything. They will literately eat their own shit. 

“We should leave. We’ve been here longer than necessary.” 

“Fine,” Kimberly whined, “Before I run another mile, let me just put this away.”

Her pants pockets were actually rather deep. The one on her left was the shortest. It was also where she normally kept her phone. But the one on the right reached from the rim of the pants, down to her knee-cap. 

With the other apple in hand, Kimberly took a bite. After chewing and swallowing what was in her mouth, she jogged to chase after Rai yet another time.

~

“This place will do,” Rai announced. 

Coming out from the thick bushes, Kitty took a strand of hair out of her mouth. 

About to complain about their previous pace, she opened her mouth to speak. Despite her intentions, her open mouth closed at the familiar sight.

It was her house. From the front porch to the tire-swing in the front yard- this was home. Only, home looked more worn than she expected. 

The porch was covered in mud, as well as eaten away in a few places. The windows were so dirty that you couldn’t peer inside. The little ‘clean’ places left on the glass were towards the middle of the window. The tree, which held her childhood tire-swing, was bent over and eerie looking. It had overgrown tremendously, along with the grass around the house itself. 

“I’m home…”


	6. Chapter 5:

Rai looked over at her reflexively, his one eye studying her face. Eventually, he turned away and stepped forth. 

She followed timidly, and watched as Rai tried to open the door. 

It wouldn’t budge. 

With her foot, she moved the welcome matt. There stood the rusted spare key. 

Kitty used it to open the front porch, and was the first to enter. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Lane? I’m home!” 

A gust of wind blew in her face as she entered the living room. The room was in perfect condition, if it wasn’t for the scattered papers and prescription bottles. 

She gently lifted a bottle, and read the label. It was for depression. A few pills were still left, but they were probably outdated. 

“My Foster sister must have missed me in my absence.”

She tossed the bottle across the room out of anger, breaking a picture. 

She then turned to the kitchen, where the fridge was left wide open. The inside was completely raided, and doodles were still on the fridge itself. 

Kitty poked and pried for a weak spot in the tile, eventually finding it. She lifted the brick to reveal her secret stash of Military Meals. There were only two, but it was good enough for her. These things last forever…quite literately. The only thing that would be bad to eat is meat or anything milk related. 

Setting these packages on the counter, she went upstairs. Rai followed her, looking at pictures of her Foster Family on the staircase wall.

When reaching the top of the incline, she opened her bedroom door. 

Everything of hers was in glass display cases. Her anime collection was in the far left corner, the book-shelf covered from head-to-toe. Her bed-sheets and pillows were in the case beside it, and her clothes were hung up in a see-through portable closet. 

The furniture remained where she last left it, though all of it was rotted or covered in dust.

“Is this where you slept?” 

“Yeah, I spent most of my life in this room.” 

She went over to her lap-top, which was covered in cob-webs, and opened it. She tried to turn it on, but failed. The lights wouldn’t even turn on.

Bummer. 

“Is this another musical device?” 

The girl shook her head no. 

“It’s not only a musical device, but I kept stories and personal things on here. I even had pictures of my real parents.”

The last part was blurted out, but she didn’t care at this point. 

Letting out a sigh, she turned to face Rai with her usual smile. 

“You can sleep in the guest bedroom, assuming a mattress is still in there!” 

He didn’t buy the sudden mood swing, but gave a nod. 

She showed him to said bedroom, and was relieved to see the untouched mattress in one piece. 

“You should stay in here with me tonight. It’s dangerous to be in separate rooms.”

Kitty solemnly glared at the floor. 

She wasn’t mad or anything. A thought crossed her mind. 

If this is really her house, then she was in the future. We’re not talking years in the future either. We’re talking centuries; nearly 2 thousand years. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

She met Rai’s eye, and stared at his blank expression for a bit. 

“No. I’m fine.” 

He began to unarm himself, though he never left the weapons too far away from his body. As a matter of fact, his shorter sword remained beside him. 

As he began to wind down, Kimberly tried to set up a Guided Leaf. It wasn’t too hard. All she had to do was lay the leaf in a bowl of water. 

Glancing over at her friend, she noticed that he was grooming himself. 

Oh…my…God. That was adorable! Imagine a big tough kitty-witty-cat grooming his fur. It was a precious sight. 

“You’re not going to groom yourself?” He gave her a side-glance. 

“Huma- I mean, Two Canes, don’t do that. We comb our hair with…” she pulled a small comb from her pants pocket, “this.” 

He looked at it for a while, until turning his attention back to his ears. 

“Do you want me to brush your hair?” 

Rai stopped again, but this time didn’t bother looking at her. 

“Does it help any?” 

“With all that hair you have, yeah. It will help- a lot.” 

He gave a nod, but didn’t walk over to her. Oh, no! She had to walk over to him. 

Arrogance…

She started at the ends of his hair, slowly working her way up. Occasionally, she’d catch Rai looking at what she was doing, but he never seemed too concerned.

When done with the right side of his head, she sat on the opposite side of him. Then, she began to work on the neglected side of his hair. 

Other than a few tangles and knots, his hair wasn’t too bad. He had some split-ends, but that was only practical. 

“Done.” 

She stood up and walked to the other side of the room, where she made a small camp. She was using the covers from her room, and her favorite pillow.   
Both didn’t smell the best, but it was either this or sleep like a Neanderthal.

On her side, she let out a content sigh. Across the way, she could hear the faint sound of purring. 

Rai seemed to be quite happy with the result of his hair. He was smoothing it down and running his fingers through it, a faint grin on his face. 

You’re welcome…


	7. Chapter 6:

Rolling her eyes, she shifted so that she would lie on her back. 

“Have you ever thought of trimming your hair, Rai?” 

“What?” 

“Have you ever cut your hair?”

“No.” 

“That explains the coarseness of your hair near the ends.”

She only heard him scoff.

Rolling over on her side once again, she found Rai looking at her. 

“How can you sleep like that?” 

“I don’t know. It’s just comfortable to me.”

…

As silence passed, she began to hum. It was a tune Konoe normally sings, but for some reason it got stuck in her head a while ago. 

Suddenly standing, Rai looked down at his hands. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Hum?” Opening her eyes, she looked at her fuzzy companion. His hands were shaking. 

“Rai, what’s wrong?” She stood up and walked over to him. 

“You were humming.”

“Yeah, so?” 

“I wasn’t like this before you began humming. I can feel the song.” 

…

Was he implying? Did he…? No, that’s ridiculous.

“I’m not a Sanga. I don’t even think Hu- ugh- Two Canes can become Sangas.”

This was twice today she’s almost referred to herself as a Human. It was getting frustrating. 

“You have a better explanation?” 

“I…well! Um…no.”

“Then this settles the feud.”

He looked around for a moment or so, and it was then that something hit her like a ton of bricks.

If Rai had a Sanga, wouldn’t he be traveling with him? Did this mean Rai was left without a Sanga? 

“You don’t have a Sanga, do you?” 

Rai and Kimberly met eyes. 

“No.”

She gave a nod and turned to lie back down. 

“Try jogging in place until you feel tired. Do something to weary like…pumping iron…so you can get some rest.” 

Already she was looking after this dude like a mother. This was going to be interesting.

~

Next morning, Kimberly woke alone in the room. She sat up, holding her head. 

What the hell happened last night? After she fell asleep, things get hazy. She knows that she had a dream. It was a weird and scary dream actually. She just couldn’t remember what it was about. 

Sighing, she stood up and went downstairs. Rai was downstairs, standing in front of the kitchen window. He was in his causal position; arms crossed and slightly hunched back. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his eye glued on what could be outside. 

“What are you doing?”

“Looking out the window.”

“What are you looking at?” 

“The outdoors.” 

“Nuuuh… ‘The outdoors,’ ba-blah-ba-blah…” 

Ever since she’s seen Hotel Transylvania, the ba-blah speech has stuck like glue. But she only says it is she’s too lazy to come up with a proper insult.

“I saw an intruder last night.”

Ah…that ‘intruder’ was probably Firi. He said that he’d be lingering about, watching and following from afar. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s most likely my friend.” 

He glanced down to meet her India-green orbs. 

“Friend,” he parroted doubtfully. “There are only two people you can come in contact with: the Foe or the Ally. My instincts are telling me this friend of yours isn’t trustworthy.” 

Shrugging, she turned away with crossed arms. 

“He used to be on the wrong side of the fence, but he’s had a change of heart since then.”

“Once an enemy always an enemy.”

“And that,” she turned to face the feline, “is why you don’t have many friends. You have this ‘nobody can be trusted’ attitude going on. If you have that persona then you’ll end up dying alone.” 

“I’d prefer it that way.” 

Getting on her tip toes, she poked his chest. 

“Is that so?” 

Turning her heel, she ran upstairs to get her things. When she was done, she slowly exited the house. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

“You don’t need me or anybody. You’d prefer to die alone,” she mockingly spat out. 

As she walked farther down the tall grassy field, she heard an echo of a cat-growl. 

Turning her head ever-so slightly, she found Mr. Forever-Alone following her. He had his equipment strapped to his body, and followed a few feet away with his ears down and tail low. His one eye was narrowed.

He was closing in. 

“Why are you following me? You don’t need anyone, so why should I be any different, hum? I don’t stick around just for convenience. I stick around because I feel the need to. So if you really don’t need or care about me, there’s no point in staying.” 

“Tch, idiot. What are you blabbering about?” 

“You know what I’m talking about. If you really want to die alone that badly, I won’t keep you from that goal. ‘I’d prefer it that way’ ba-blah-ba-blah. Go to Hell, Rai.” 

She felt him grip her arm near her wrist, and stood in front of her. He seemed taller than before, and his expression was beyond cold. He was penetrating her pupils with icicles. 

“If this is how Two Canes thank a companion, then there’s no wonder why your species became extinct.”

“Don’t pull that bulshit gratitude card on me! You’ve just led me out of the woods.”

“And if it wasn’t for me, the woods are where you’d still be.” 

Yanking her arm free, she blew a raspberry in the air. 

“You’re twisting the subject around on me. I get that you have to deal with shit. I get that you have issues. Well, guess what? Everyone has issues and demons that they have to fend off. There’s no rhyme or reason to go pointing the finger, or treating someone else like shit because you have issues.”

His expression was unwavering, but his tail was flying back and forth. He was irritated, maybe even mad. 

“Where do you plan on going anyway? You’re leaving your guide behind, and going off into the forest alone. That defeats the purpose of my being.” 

“I know my way around more than you think. If I go north, I’ll end up at Ransen. The point is; I went with you because I wanted to, and because I felt the need to.”

Finally, it was out. The fact silenced Rai, his tail becoming still. 

“Why would you want or need to do that?”

“If I’m going to answer that, then you answer my question. Why did you let me come along? You didn’t know that I was a Sanga before. If anything, I’d say I’ve only slowed you down.”

…

“You’re female. I figured having you with me would be the safest.” 

Ah…so it was out of pity. If that was the case…no, it wasn’t. Kimberly knows Rai. And he wouldn’t have allowed her to follow out of pity. In fact, he doesn’t like the weak, or pity anybody. 

“Oh, alright. Now tell me the real reason.” 

His eyes narrowed once more. 

“I told you already.”

“And I’m calling bullshit.”

Two figures emerged from the trees to the right.


	8. Chapter 7:

Out of instinct, she jumped behind Rai. 

“Rai?”

Sounds like Konoe…Konoe? Bae? Is that you? 

Peering from behind Rai, she saw the familiar male cat.

“Konoe!” She leapt forth, wrapping her arms around him tightly and swaying back and forth. “Save me from the meany Rai!” 

Asato looked back and forth from her, and Rai. 

“What did you say this time,” Konoe spoke blandly.

“Tch, stupid cat. I didn’t say anything.”

Sobbing into Konoe’s shirt, she pointed at the white haired cat without looking. 

“He said he didn’t need me and that he’d prefer to die alone!” 

“You said that to a female,” Asato asked, “And made her cry, no less.” 

“She’s the one who started it…”

“Then I’m finishing it,” Konoe stated. Pulling her back by the shoulders, he looked at Kimberly’s face. 

His expression dropped instantaneously.

“I’m sorry that I…um…clung onto you.” She took a step back and smiled like a fool. 

“You…you have no ears…” Asato pointed out. 

Oh crap, not this again. 

“I’m a Two Canes…we don’t have cat ears, or tails.” 

“Do all of you look this way,” Konoe interrogated. 

“Only the good looking ones. Nah, I’m kidding. We’re like you guys; different faces, different genders, different personalities, etcetera. We just don’t have claws, or any real cat-defining trait… The only thing close to that are our canines.” She briefly looked at their puzzled faces. “Teeth.” 

As moments of silence passed, Konoe decided to speak up. 

“So how do you know Rai? And how do you know my name?” 

Taking a deep breath in, she placed a hand to her forehead.

This is gonna take a while.

~

She basically told them her life’s story, apart from Firi, the videogame this place is based off of, and this morning when she had a throbbing headache. 

She even showed the two how to use her headphones and phone. 

The music on her list was a little too…loud for their liking. So she showed them softer tunes, and some instrumentals.

In the end of it all, she had almost forgotten that she and Rai were on bad terms, for now. But it wasn’t over. It wasn’t going to be over until that sour-puss apologizes.

He knew that too. He just refused to say sorry. 

“You said you gave them a piece of your hair,” Rai suddenly spoke. 

“I knew what would probably happen, but given the conditions, I couldn’t refuse.”

“You said they talked about sacrifices too,” Konoe said. He glanced at Asato, whom didn’t look very happy. “What does that mean for her?” 

“They’re going to try and offer her to the devils. Although they have a strand of her hair, they need to…consume her, if the deal has already been struck.”

“Can we get to them before they make the deal,” Rai asked. 

Asato gave a small smile. 

“We can try, though if we’re too late, it would be a fool’s errand.”

“Tch,” the cat turned towards Kitty. “You should stay here. They may be planning on your arrival.”

Crossing her arms, she gave him a cold stare-down. 

“And what if they expect you to leave me behind?”

Everyone looked at Rai, waiting for an answer. 

“Very well, come with us. But if you can’t keep up, I’d be best if you stay here.” 

Reaching into her pocket, she gave a nod. As everyone walked east, she placed her headphones over her ears, and played one of her favorite songs. 

~

An hour into their walk, a wave of uneasiness came over Kimberly. It was a familiar feeling, but she couldn’t think of where she felt it before. 

Glancing around, she paused in her tracts. 

Apparently, that caught the attention of Konoe. He was the closest in proximity to her, as she tried to stay near him. She felt like he was the only other person she can actually relate to. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Don’t you feel it?” 

When the words left her mouth, the two other cats stopped walking. 

“Feel what?” 

…

“Firi?” 

A figure appeared behind the group, a chuckle leaving his mouth. 

“I’m here!” 

All cats turned towards him, a growl leaving most of their throats. 

“Hey, no need for that,” Kimberly said. She got in the middle of the group and Firi. She turned towards her friend, and smiled kindly at him. “How’s it hanging, Bro?” 

He gave a small groan. “So boring,” he complained, “Waiting is the hardest part.”

“Just hang in there. I have a feeling that something interesting is gonna come in Gangnam Style.”

I don’t think anybody got the joke. 

“You know, it’s gonna come in with…finesse.” She made a spirit-fingers gesture, which made her blonde friend roar with laughter.

“Ha…I haven’t laughed like that in ages.” 

“You two know each other?” Konoe looked at Kimberly with a disapproving gaze. 

In return, she looked at Rai. 

“You know that friend that I told you about? The one that you kinda, maybe, sort of sensed?”

“Please, enlighten me that you weren’t talking about him.” 

Shrugging, she sighed. 

“Sorry, not sorry, I was.” 

Firi turned his attention to the tense crowd of cats. 

“Relax, my old friends. I’m on your side.”

“How are you still alive,” Konoe hissed. 

“Well Konoe, thanks to your beautiful words, I was saved just in time.” 

With this vague answer, he gave everyone a smile. 

“Bring any news,” Kitty questioned. 

“Nope! I just dropped in to say hello. I have nothing better to do.” He took a hold of her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. 

Many more growls erupted. 

Smiling sweetly, she ruffled his hair. “Get out of here, before they kill you. You’re no good dead.” 

He waved quickly, before jumping and vanishing into thin air. 

“Of all people…” Konoe unclenched his fists, and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s move.”


	9. Chapter 8:

The group settled down to make camp. Kitty decided to sleep in a tree with Asato, while the two others remained on the ground. 

“You alright,” she turned towards the quiet cat. 

He was looking at her, but looked uncomfortable. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Come on, tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours.” She tossed a berry in the air, catching it with her mouth. 

“How do you know so much about Konoe?” 

“I told you guys; I just know everything.” She gave him a lighthearted chuckle, “But you’re right. Konoe is amazing. You’re pretty amazing too, you know.” 

The compliment took him off guard. 

“I know you’re not used to stuff like that. Nobody but Konoe has called you amazing. So just consider me a friend.”

Taking a berry in her hand, she tossed it to Asato. He caught it with ease, and looked down at it. 

“What is it like being a Sanga? You aren’t like Konoe. When you hum something happens.”

Giving an offhanded shrug, she leaned back against the tree. 

“It’s…warm. You have this sense of relief wash over you; relief and happiness.”  
She looked down at Konoe and Rai. They seemed to be catching up, having a friendly duel. 

“What was it like before our time? Was it anything like now?” 

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes to imagine her house- before yesterday.

“No, it’s nothing like now. A lot has changed since then. But I think it has changed for the better.”

“What do you mean?” 

“The world that I come from is very selfish. Where I grew up, I was constantly surrounded by wars, and people whom wanted to control the society. I guess our inventive nature got to our heads. Nothing could have prepared us for the end.” 

The black cat gave a slow and steady nod. 

Then a comfortable silence came over the conversation. It was as if the two were thinking amongst themselves at the same time. 

Could what she just told Asato be her true feelings? Sure, the place that she comes from is hardly bearable. But did the Human Race have to come to a close because of it? 

Tucking loose hair behind her ear, she took a deep breath in. It was time to rest. Who knows what tomorrow will come. 

-Dream-

The haze around her slowly became clear. She was in a dark room. Said room was cold, but the atmosphere was heavy. It was almost like a weight was on her chest. 

Attempting to stand, or sit up for that matter, proved to be more difficult than she thought. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t move at all. It was like she was being held down.

SSSSSS

It wasn’t a sizzling sound. It was more like a hissing sound. 

What was happening? Where was she? Was she dreaming? 

Her toes curled, but that’s the only thing her feet could do.

Jumping at a sudden scaly touch, something slowly began to slither up her leg. 

Oh shit…this wasn’t what she thought it was, was it? She was going to be forced to swallow a snake, like in the videogame?! 

A red snake could be seen, slithering up her stomach. As it approached, its black eyes seemed to stare into her soul.

“If you or any of your pals think I’m swallowing you, you have another thing coming.”

That’s when another snake started to climb up her body. 

Trying to take them off, she only managed to make her left leg twitch. 

As the red snake journeyed down her throat, she felt a particularly hot sensation vent through her throat and stomach.

Muffled sounds of pain and shock came from the girl. Her eyes tightly squeezed shut, tears leaking from her tear-ducts.

An orange-ish yellow snake was next. It looked like the hardest to get down, due to how broad it was. It was so wide that she felt as if her throat had stretched beyond its capacity. 

The third and final snake, the green one, was up. Out of all the snakes, this one had to be the sleekest, as it plunged down her throat so swift that she hardly knew it was there. 

Gasping and sucking in air, Kimberly lied still. She was still in this horrid place. Wasn’t it over, though? Wasn’t this the part where she’s supposed to wake up? 

No. It wasn’t. 

Three flames appeared out of nowhere, all of which beared a different color. They surrounded her person, the bright light of each flame flickering independently. 

“Has she already tired herself out,” a mocking voice came. 

“No wonder; she was struggling all the while.”

“Still, she knew what was going to happen.”

These voices…they were coming from the colored flames.

“Assholes,” the girl muttered.

“Haha!”

“That’s…cute.” 

“Is she talking to us?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s delirious.”

The voices began to fade, the dark room around her beginning to turn white. Finally…she was getting out of this nightmare.

-Dream End-


	10. Chapter 9:

“Kitty,” a panicked voice chanted. “She’s still not waking up!” 

“What?”

“No…”

Slowly opening her eyes, they met the bright sky. Her eyes squinted, a small groan coming from her mouth. 

“What the Hell?” She sat up, and realized she was on the ground. 

Rai and Konoe were at her feet, while Asato was at her right. They were all staring at her. 

Looking down at her hands, she rolled up her sleeves. Sure enough, there they were; the marks. 

“Those motherfuckers,” she cussed, suddenly jumping to her feet. 

Doing this, a stand of hair caught in between her fingers. A black strand.   
She held up some of her hair, studying the tar-black locks. 

This isn’t hers, right? Please tell her it was Asato’s tail, or his hair grew overnight. 

Following the strand to her scalp, she gave a sigh. 

Nope. It was hers alright. It was attached and all. 

Sticking her leg out farther, she pulled her pant-leg up. Nothing was there. 

She mimicked the action, only with the other lower limb. But like her right leg, it was clean. 

“Rai, lift the back of my shirt.” 

He gave her a strange look, crossing his arms. 

“Fine, Konoe, lift the back of my shirt, please.” 

He did as she asked with hesitation, and gasped. 

“Wow…”

“What? Is there one on my back?” 

…

“It’s huge.” 

That’s what she- no, stay on topic. 

It was probably Razel, that proud pompous red-head.

“Is it Razel’s?” 

“I’m not sure.” 

Rai reluctantly took a peek at it. “It is.” 

Fixing her shirt, she let out a sigh. 

“Goddamn it. Now I got the devils on my ass.” 

“We have the devils on our asses,” Rai corrected. 

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. 

“Plan on sticking around, even with green-cheese breathing down my back?” She was referring to Froud, one of the three devils she saw in her dream earlier. Er, at least she thinks it was a dream.

Rai seemed to stiffen. 

“Yes.” 

Daw…that’s so like him to say, but it’s still sweet. 

“Fine,” she gave everyone a goofy grin. “But none of you have to follow. I know you don’t want to get involved with these guys again.”

Konoe took a deep breath in.

“That’s an understatement, but if we don’t follow, then you’ll be unprotected.” 

Tch, calling her weak? She may not be experienced, but she’s good enough to take on two possibly drunk guys. If that’s not a start, then she’s a lost cause.

~

So, in the long run, they decided to visit that shaman from the videogame. She already knew what he was going to say. 

‘There’s no cure, haha.’

Make her the fucking shaman. She’ll actually help. 

‘You were born under a strange star, and you’re fucked three ways to Sunday, ho-ho.’

What a freak of nature. He’s lived in a dark cave for how long? Even cats occasionally take water-baths. Imagine how rank that guy must be. 

How does he eat or hunt anyway? Is the universe’s power enough sustenance for shamans, or some crap like that? If so, then sign her up! She’ll loose so much weight in the first week. 

“You don’t look happy,” Asato pointed out. 

“I already know what that creepy dude is going to say. ‘There’s no cure, we can’t fight the devils, my future depends on my choices;’ and so on. We’re wasting our time.”

Rai turned to shoot her a glare. 

“He’s known to hold the ability of foresight.”

“That doesn’t mean he’ll tell us anything. Right, Konoe? He told you, didn’t he?” 

He looked around, before looking back down at the ground.

“I’d rather not get into this…” 

“You’re standing here. You’re into it. Hell, even Asato is into it.” 

Hearing a mutter from Rai, she turned to glare daggers at his back. He probably knows she’s glaring. 

She doesn’t need any advice from a psychopath who enjoyed the warmth of blood. The only time she’s ever felt that loopy is when she tried playing Flappy Bird. Her highest score was 5. You do the math. 

“We’re almost here.” 

“Joyous…” she rolled her eyes and stuffed her hands in her pants pockets.


	11. Chapter 10:

Sooner than later, they arrived at a cave-like entrance. 

Getting her phone out, she turned it on to use it as a light. She had a ‘flashlight’ option, which made the light on her phone brighter. 

Rai passed her, walking forward with his pride leaking from every inch of his being. Asato followed, eventually leaving Konoe and Kimberly out in the cold. 

But even they entered the dark cave.

Standing in front of the altar was exactly whom you thought it was. Kitty’s eyes narrowed at the sight of him.   
Ugh, here we go. 

“Hou-hou, back again?” 

“In a manner of speaking,” Konoe responded. “But it isn’t me who needs help.”

Turning, the man’s eyes landed on Kimberly. 

“Something dark lurks within you…” He stepped closer, and suddenly smiled. “I take it you all know what ails her?” 

At least he knew that she was a ‘she’. 

“Yeah, they know,” she budded in. “Here’s how it is; I’m cursed. I know that there isn’t necessarily a way to break the curse, so can you just tell me what I can do?”

He placed a finger to his chin.

“Perhaps… give me your hands.”

She did as he said, and looked into his eyes.

His green pools of, probably, toxic waste seemed to draw her in like a vacuum. 

“I’m getting a sense of da-ja-vu,” he finally spoke, “Three shadows stand behind you, my dear.”

“Devils,” Asato questioned. 

He only nodded in response. 

“They seek your soul…but how strange. I cannot sense a heart-beat.” 

Rai gave him a skeptical glance.

“What does that mean? She’s clearly alive.” 

“Yes, alive, but living? No.”

So basically, she’s a walking corpse? That’d make sense. Nobody human can live for 2 thousand years. She’d be dead far before now. 

“That’s nonsense,” the white cat said. 

“Actually,” she spoke, “it makes perfect sense. Besides, if I’m a zombie, then our worries are over.”

Everyone gave her a strange look. 

“No life equals no value. I’m basically an empty meal-ticket.” She glanced at the man in front of her, whom still held onto her hands. “Right?” 

He released her finally, and smiled. “If they were to consume her, they would get no benefit out of it. However, you aren’t completely worthless either. A soul is still a soul.”

Polish a turd it’s still a turd…just a polished one.

“So what do I do about that?” 

“I think you know what you must do.”

She gave a nod. 

“We’re going to the four monuments,” she huffed. 

Konoe looked worried almost immediately. 

“Are you sure?” 

“What else am I going to do? Sit here with a hand on my ass? Go to Ransen and wait to be eaten or murdered? If the party isn’t gonna come to me, I’ll go to the party.” 

‘And I’m VIP, bitch,’ she wanted to add.

Turning, she waved at the creepy shaman. 

“Thanks, I guess.” 

He waved as well. 

Okay, so maybe this wasn’t a complete waste of time. She found out that she may have a shot in the dark, if she plays her cards right. She finds it hard to believe that these devils will simply give up on her. 

That will be the second biggest mistake of their pathetic existences. The first was choosing her.


	12. Chapter 11:

They arrived at their destination, sooner than Kimberly would have liked. 

Hey, at least she can die seeing a great view! Oh wait…she’s surrounded by ancient stones that reflect colors when touched by light (whatever that means). Not to mention, she’s not going to meet these guys here. In fact, she’s not going to be conscious.

“Wish me luck.” She paused before entering the center. Turning to Rai, she handed him her phone and headphones. 

“I bequeath these to you if I die. If I come back, they’re still mine.” 

As she walked in the middle of the circle, she sat down. 

“Hello~ I’d like to meet my psychopathic soul-sucking devils, please.”

And she was out like a light. 

-Dream-

She opened her eyes to see nothing too special. She was back in that dark room. 

Surprisingly enough, she was still sitting on the floor. She thought for sure that she’d wake up, lying on the ground like last time. Maybe it’s because she sat down before she passed out? 

Large flames up roared from the ground, all of which were her hosts.

The green flame appeared in front of her. As it grew, it began to take shape. Eventually, it turned into the most sadistic devil here, Froud.

Still sitting, she looked up at him with a blank expression. 

“My name is Froud. I’m the devil of joy.”

“Let’s just get this over with. I know all of your names.”

“Such a kill-joy,” he muttered. Stepping forth, he placed a hand on her shoulder. 

Immediately, desperate cries and screaming entered her mind. Multiple voices were running through her mind, crowding her thoughts until one word processed through her head. 

Kill. 

No. None of that. She has to be level-headed here.

“Humans always let out pathetic screams before they die. Isn’t it beautiful? Chose me.”

Much to her surprise, it was harder to deny him than it looks. But her last thought was ‘no. Next.’ 

“I have received it.”

And then he started to vanish before her very eyes. 

An orange flame took its spot. A tall bulky devil stood before her. With white hair, no shirt, and discolored eyes, there was no doubt.   
Hello Verg. 

“Yo! That saves me the time of introducing myself. As you probably guessed, I rule over pleasure.”

Not looking forward to this. There’s only one time she’s ever felt…tainted. It was after her boyfriend broke up with her. She got very ‘lonely’. And since she didn’t know anyone else at the time, well, she worked things out herself. Enough said.

“I swear, if you touch me with anything other than that hand, it’s coming off.” 

With a broad smile, he gave a throaty chuckle. “Fair enough.”

Placing a hand on her left shoulder, things began to happen.   
Not only did she start to feel feverish, sweaty and all, but she held a bubbly ‘desire’. You know which desire I’m talking about. 

“Alright, now you get to choose.”

Fuck…no. 

“Got it.” And he left. 

A bright red flame, one particularly hotter than the rest, appeared. A somewhat tall figure with long red hair emerged from the flames, and levitated downward until he was on his own two feet. 

“I am Razel. I rule over wrath.”

And hair products. Damn, I’m kinda jealous…

He reached over to place a hand on her shoulder. Instantly, she felt enraged. Her fists balled up at her sides, and her eyes turned into daggers. 

‘They left me,’ she thought, ‘how could they just give me up; their own daughter? I hate them…SO much. In fact, I hate them so much that I wish they weren’t even born. If that meant I was never created, then so be it. I’d give anything to see them suf-…’

What the bloody Hell?

Razel lifted his hand, and crossed his arms over his chest. Looking her in the eyes, he raised her chin so she would look at him properly.

“Choose.” 

Will it hurt him to say ‘please’? My God, he has more pride than Rai. 

On a serious note: never. Never in a million years could she forever think like that. Her parents- her real parents- loved her, no matter what she was told at the Foster Home. They never abandoned her. They gave her the best chance they could offer. 

“Understood.”

The devil disappeared, leaving her in the dark room all alone. 

Did she do it? Did she win? Is it over? 

Her surroundings began to turn white, a bright white. 

'Like a boss! Okay, let me out of here. I’m ready to breathe in some fresh air!'

-Dream End-


	13. Chapter 12:

She woke up on her back. Konoe was the first person she saw, beside him Asato. Rai was kneeling beside her, checking her pulse. However, at the sight of her awakening, he reframed from touching her. 

“What are you searching for? Dead, remember?” 

“Kitty,” Asato peered over Konoe’s friend to get a better look at her. With a relieved smile, he began to purr. 

“Yup, I’m alive…sort of. Can someone help me up? I think my foot fell asleep.” 

While helping her up, Rai noticed her twisted face. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“I’m gonna-,” turning in the other direction, black sludge and tar-like vomit came out of her mouth. It wasn’t a mouthful either. We’re talking everything in her stomach, and possibly her stomach itself. 

Smacking her lips together, she stuck out her tongue. “Gah, gross. At least I didn’t throw up before I passed out. With my luck I would have landed in the vomit.” 

Turning, she clutched her stomach. “Nope.” 

And she puked some more. 

Taking small breaths, she waited. 

…

“Okay, I think I’m done.”

Rai stood beside her, before outstretching his hand. Within it, his fingers curled around her most prized possession.

“*Gasp* my baby!” She gripped her phone, and placed it in her pocket. “Thanks, Rai.” 

He didn’t respond. He didn’t really look at her either. 

Placing her headphones around her neck, she realized that her hair had turned back to normal. 

“Oh, I almost forgot that would happen.” She checked her arms, which were clean. 

Then, she turned to Konoe, giving him the look. 

Sighing, he lifted the back of her shirt. 

…

“It’s gone.” 

Too bad, she kinda liked that tattoo. But when it’s a devil’s mark, one can’t really keep it. 

Hearing the sound of someone clearing their throat, everyone looked up to see the three devils. They were standing beside each of their monuments, staring casually. 

Shooing away Konoe’s hand, she smoothed down her shirt. 

“What are you guys doing here?” 

“Oh, we never left. Our business isn’t quite finished,” Froud spoke. 

“You still want my freaking soul?! Man you just don’t give up.” Before anyone could say anything, she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re honest when it comes to your desires. If you’re so hungry, why don’t you look for someone else?” 

“And pass up you?” 

Verg grinned at his partner’s question. “You’re the only human on Earth. That alone is plenty reason to stick around.” 

“Besides, others will be after you. We cannot afford to lose you like we lost him.” Razel’s eyes moved to Konoe, a little bit of resentment lingering in his corneas. 

The cat threw him a glare, a growl rising in his throat. 

“Will you two take that somewhere else,” she deadpanned. “Who will be after me? Aren’t you guys the only devils who know of my existence?”

“Others will find out very soon,” Froud answered, “We were just lucky to find you before someone else did.” 

She’s flattered…

“So, we have no choice but to team up once more. And as you know, we don’t lie.” 

“Tch, no,” Rai looked away from the small group of inhumans.

In return, Kimberly threw him a chilling glance. 

“What do you mean ‘tch, no’. We don’t have a leg to stand on without their help. Not to mention, you know as well as I that they can’t lie.”

Throwing the same glance in the devils’ way, she stared them down one by one. 

“You promise you won’t try to eat me before this is done, right?” 

“We promise.” 

“Then that settles it.” Everyone smiled, until Kimberly frowned once more, “on one condition. You,” she pointed at Froud. “Leave him alone.” She moved her pointer finger to Rai. 

“Aw, things are going to be so boring,” he whined.

“You’re the devil of joy. I’m sure you’ll find some way to entertain yourself.” 

So, she turned heel and looked down the other three boys. 

“Where we headed?” 

“It seems she’s the one in charge, doesn’t it,” a whisper mumbled. The voice belonged to Verg.

Nobody seemed to take notice of his comment. Instead, Rai answered her question.

“To the city,” he said. “We aren’t too far from Ransen. It will be two miles, maybe three if you slow us down.”

She stuck her tongue at him. 

“It’s normal for girls to get cramps!” 

“Tch, idiot.” 

She mocked him, using his voice (which she had perfected long ago).

When everything died down the large group ventured north. 

'Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to Ransen we go~!'


	14. Chapter 13:

“Can’t one of you *pant* teleport us *pant* to Ransen?”

Kitty was out of breath. They've been walking for miles. Being one of the shortest people here, she was going to tire out faster. 

Besides, the last time she had this much exercise, it was after binge-eating with her friends. 

Verg was about to say something, when she gave him the hand. 

“I KNOW. It’s a pain in the ass for you. Does anyone else volunteer, because I’m two steps away from oh-my-God.”

“I’ll take her,” Froud offered. 

Walking over to him, she sighed. “You look like a god right now. Just get me to Ransen.” 

“With joy. Stay still, unless you wish to end up someplace you don’t want to be. Falling off a cliff would be most presumable.” 

A growl emanated from all the cats.

“Oh come on,” she whined, facing them all. Each one of the boys had a disapproving look on their face. “I won’t move. I won’t even breathe.”

As Rai stepped forward, she grabbed Froud’s arm. “Go if you want to live.”

And in a blink of an eye, she was standing at the gates of Ransen. 

“Thank you so much,” she sighed, collapsing where she stood. Lying on her back, she groaned. 

“If you feel tired, I can carry you.” 

She looked to the side to see Froud hovering near her.

This was out of character for him. He should be laughing at her, poking fun at every little thing she does. Something was up. Something was going through his head.

And Kimberly wasn’t about to fall for it. 

“No. I know what you’re thinking. I know what’s going on in that mind of yours. And I’m not gun-ho with it; not at all. So take a step back, and be quiet until the others get here.” 

“So mean,” he complained, “Isn’t there a softer side to you?” 

Oh yeah, I’m sure you’d LOVE to see her ‘soft’ side. 

“It’s nothing personal, but I don’t like you. However, I’m still thankful that you offered to take me here. For that, I’ll allow a courteous thank you.”

His thin demon tail swayed when hearing the words. 

…

“What’s taking them so long?” She sat up, and moved hair out of her eyes. 

“There are many possibilities. They could have gotten into a fight.”

Pffft, yeah right. In three days, she’s come across one fight. And they were drunken jackasses…probably. Either that or they were terrible fighters. Maybe both?

Just then, a thought crossed her mind. She imagined those fighters with beer in their hands. Their faces were replaced with cross-eyed mules.

Before she could let out an amused giggle, a group could be seen in the distance. Just as she thought, they were her friends. 

They were also with someone else…

“Kultz,” she asked. 

Hearing his own name, the blue-haired devil raised his head to look at her. 

There he was! She was wondering where he was, earlier and in the videogame. When taking Asato’s path, he seemed to just jump off a cliff. You never knew if he died or not, or if he simply passed out. 

This said, Kimberly knew well why he was here. Asato and Kultz were related. Like any other father, he wanted to be near his son. It was kind of cute, actually. 

“Yo, where have you been,” Froud interrogated.

“I was collecting myself,” the quieter one answered. 

Asato tried to stay as far away from his father as possible, his ears drooping and head pointed down. He probably blamed himself for his father’s disappearance. 

Remind her to hug him later. 

~

They got to an Inn. It was a familiar looking Inn. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she’d think this Inn was run by…

“Hello, may I help you?” 

Bardo sat behind a counter, leaning against it nonchalantly. 

“Oh, it’s you Konoe!” His eyes traveled to the other unwanted guests, “And I see you brought your friends along as well… I thought we were done with devils.”

“Circumstances have changed,” Kimberly spoke up.

She was wearing Konoe’s cape, so her human ears were hidden. 

“Who might this be?” 

He tried to look under the hood to get a better look at her, but Rai tossed a bag of money on the desk. It certainly got his attention. 

“Three rooms.” 

Pulling out a book, he searched for three empty rooms. 

“I have three vacant ones upstairs. All of them are beside each other, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find.” He handed three keys to the white haired cat. 

Without a complaint, everyone turned to leave wordlessly.

Once reaching the upstairs, everyone stopped and looked around. Eyes met eyes, people examined people.

“How should we split up?” 

…

“Asato and Rai, you two sleep in one room. Konoe and I will sleep in another. The devils can have the third room to themselves.”

“Tch, I will not sink to the slave’s level,” Rai snickered. 

Ah, so it’s going to be like this, eh?

“Fine. Rai, you stay with me. Asato and Konoe can share the other room. The devils can still have their own place.”

“How do we know she will be in good hands,” Froud pouted. 

“Yeah, maybe we want to make sure you don’t hit the road overnight,” Verg added. 

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. 

“Can’t you sense my soul or something? Either way, I’m sure you will know if we’re gone or not.”

She watched Rai pass everyone room keys, but tossed the third key at the closest devil. That happened to be Razel. 

Then, they went their separate ways.


	15. Chapter 14:

She closed the door behind her, and immediately plopped down on one of the beds. She bounced slightly, before settling down. 

She took her shoes off, setting them beside the bed, and took her socks off after. She noticed that her feet were red, probably from walking for so long. They weren’t blistered or anything. They were just sore in every way possible. 

From across the way, Rai was also getting ready to retire. He had taken his weapons off a moment or so ago, and was now grooming his fur. 

“Do you want the comb again?” 

He met her eyes and nodded. 

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. She sat that on her bed pillow, and reached farther into the pocket to retrieve her comb. When in her hands, she walked over to Rai, and sat beside him.

It didn’t take long for Rai to begin purring. Like all cats, he probably liked to be brushed. It was like he was being pampered. 

“Why did you ask Froud to leave me alone,” Rai suddenly asked. He was staying still so she could brush his hair easier. 

“Hum? Oh that?”

“Yes. Come on, speak.” 

“To be honest, it pissed me off. There we were, in the middle of freaking nowhere, and he was looking at you as if you were his plaything. The last thing we need is to fight amongst ourselves.”

He gave her a small side-glance. 

“Is that all?” 

No.

“Yeah.” 

He didn’t seem to buy it- at all. 

“Fine, fine, jeeze… I just didn’t want him pestering you. But I wasn’t lying about the fighting bit. We really don’t need you two to go off and rip each other limb from limb.”

“So, in other words, you didn’t like him treating me in the way he did.”

Looking away with a sigh, she continued to brush his hair. A faint blush appeared on her face. It eventually darkened with the thought running through her head, time and time again.

“It’s not like that.”

Rai’s purring seemed to intensify. A genuine grin was on his face.

Getting up to move to the other side of him, his eye wandered to her feet. 

“Are you hurt?” 

“No. I’m just sore a bit sore.”

…

“You should soak them in water. It helps.” 

Was this the same Rai? Was he being nice and helpful for once?

“Who are you and what have you done with Rai? Where’s your ‘if you didn’t walk that way, you wouldn’t be sore’ comment?”

“It would have happened one way or another. It’s just common sense…stupid human.”

Nodding sarcastically, she her lips pulled into a smile.

“Oh, so I’ve graduated from ‘idiot’ to ‘stupid human’. That makes me feel much better. Oh wait, no it doesn’t.”

“Tch.”

She mimicked him, and got up, finally finished with his hair. 

“Nuuuh~!”

Getting back to her own bed, she sat crisscross on her covers. “By the way, you still haven’t apologized.”

“For what?” 

“For what, the eyepatch bastard says,” she mumbled, “For your Forever Alone speech. Maybe if you apologize, I’ll consider that Sanga thing.” 

…

…

“I’m sorry.” 

Finally! Victory is hers! 

From behind her back, she hit the end button on her phone. She had just recorded that. 

“What are you doing? What is that,” his cold voice interrogated. 

She giggled. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a little keepsake…” 

“That evil glimmer in your eye says otherwise.” 

Looking at him with a smirk, she pressed the play button. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Haha! You’re on YouTube, bitch.”

“Delete it.” 

How does he know she can delete it? 

“I can’t,” she lied. 

“If you can create something, you can terminate it. Delete it.” 

Frowning, she pressed the red ‘x’ on the upper right corner of her phone. 

“Fine, I’ll do it. But only because I don’t want your pride to exit the hospital in pieces.” 

“Just go to sleep.”

“You go to sleep,” she immaturely threw back. 

“You’re a child.” 

“And you’re old.” 

“I’m 23.”

“Well, I’m 17! …And a half.”

She heard him roll over. What, so now he was going to give her the cold shoulder? Maybe he was still mad because she made him apologize.

Moving underneath her covers, she brought them up to her neck. 

“I’d like that job position, by the way,” she sighed. 

“You’re hired.”


	16. Chapter 15:

Bardo made everybody breakfast. He was wary around the devils, and did everything within his power to keep away from them. Actually, he avoided talking to them as well.

“So, what brings you all to Ransen?”

“We’re on business,” Konoe replied. His voice was hoarse, due to it being so early in the morning. 

“Fine, don’t tell me,” the one with a goatee sighed. He reached up to scratch behind his striped ears.

His eyes soon traveled to Kimberly. 

She was wearing her usual clothes, and picked at the food before her. She was wondering what was safe to eat. After all, she didn’t have the same kind of stomach that cats do. Would the berries make her sick? 

“What about you then? Did you get tangled in this mess too?” 

“Actually, I am the mess,” she coolly answered. 

He nodded, his tail making short arcs. A soft purr started to vibrate from him. 

“So…what’s with the hood? Is something wrong?” 

She couldn’t tell him that she was human. So what else could she say?

“…I get cold easily.”

She hesitated. It was a bad lie. He’ll see right through her. 

“Oh. Why don’t you have a tail, then?” 

Son of a-

“You ask too many questions, Bardo,” Rai sneered. “No wonder why nobody chooses to stay here for more than a night.” 

Oooh! You tell ‘em, Rai! 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you,” he immediately apologized.

When she said nothing, the room fell silent. But that’s when she unexpectedly felt someone pull her hood back. 

Reflexively, she turned around and punched the person. Bardo stumbled back a few, his hand reaching up to touch his bleeding lip. When his eyes met Kimberly, the ends of his mouth twitched into a grin. 

“I knew it. You’re not a Ribika, are you?”

Rai got up, drawing his longest sword and pointing it at Bardo. With his eye narrowed and a cat-like growl coming from his throat, the weaponless cat held his hands up in surrender. The striped cat stared down at the blade, a gentle smile suddenly coming to his lips. He stared at Rai, his eyes half open, casual and warm.

“Rai,” Kimberly sternly hissed. Immediately, the single-eyed cat’s ears twitched, and his tail began to gently sway. 

Lowering his weapon, he turned with a tongue-clicking noise, like he usually does when annoyed. He turned towards Kitty with a softer expression.

“Gather your things. We’re leaving.”

“I can help,” Bardo spoke, “I don’t think you lot are on the run, otherwise I can imagine you would be gone by now.”

“We don’t need your help,” Rai spat. 

“Actually,” Kimberly interjected, “We need all the help we can get.” 

Rai glanced at her with a cold gaze. She promptly returned it with a glare of her own. 

“Great, what can I help with?” 

Turning towards him, the human deadpanned. 

“Are you willing to fight?” 

Crossing his arms with a smug grin, the shirtless cat nodded. 

“Good. You’re hired.” Her eyes turned back to Rai, “We’re staying.” 

“Tch, stupid human.”

“Nuuuh…” 

~

Bardo was told everything. He’d have to know everything in order to be of some use. 

At first he didn’t believe her when she claimed to be a Two Canes. His opinion was changed when she introduced him to her phone. 

Goddamn it, he was better at Flappy Bird than her! 

“What’s this one…?” Before she could stop him, Bardo clicked on her music app. That wouldn’t be a bad thing, if her headphones weren’t out of her phone at the moment.

No one ever had much nice to say. I think they never liked you anyway. Oh~ take me from the hospital bed~! Wouldn't it be grand to take a pistol by the hand?

Taking her phone out of his hands, she turned the song on mute. 

Looking around with a worried face, all cats removed their hands from their ears. 

“No touchies,” she scolded. “Ask before you act.”

Bardo’s ears drooped in response. 

Aw…she might have been a little harsh on him. Should she apologize? Nah, he’ll be fine. If it still gets to her, she’ll apologize later. 

“What was that melody,” Asato questioned. 

“Not a melody,” she responded, “It’s called pop-rock. It tends to be loud and insanely catchy.” 

“You force yourself to listen to that,” Konoe asked in bewilderment.

Kimberly rolled her eyes, and out of the corner of her eye, looked at the unusually quiet devils. They were watching her and the cats from across the room. A dark aura seemed to linger around them and that particular side of the room. They all stood close together, and had eerie smiles on their faces. 

Call her paranoid, but it was kind of like they were plotting… 

She may be overreacting, but you can’t deny that it was uneasy. Also, bear in mind that she’s obsessed with Lamento Beyond the Void. She knows the characters within this game better than she knows herself. Don’t you think she’d know if something was up? 

“I’m going to take a walk,” she abruptly announced. 

Konoe was the first to comment.

“That may not be such a good idea, especially around here.” 

Grabbing her hooded cloak, she slid it on. 

“I’m not going to go far. Besides, do you really think I’m helpless without you guys standing guard? It will be five minutes tops. I just need some fresh air.” 

With this said, she exited the Inn. Not two steps away from the building, she saw a tall bulky figure walk next to her. It was Verg. 

“What?” 

“One of us has to come with you. We can’t risk something happening.”

Oh, that’s right. At least with an intimidating person walking with her, she can go up and down the street rest assured. 

What kind of creep would try something funny with someone like Verg beside her? She’s not into him or anything, but she will admit he’s handsome and threatening. Any dude would have nightmares if they encountered somebody like him. 

“Aren’t you worried about your horns and tail showing?” 

“I’m at my full power. Only those I reveal myself to can see me.”

So is that why they couldn’t hide themselves in the videogame? Most of their powers were stolen? That actually makes sense. 

“While we’re out here alone, I’d like to ask you a question,” Verg stated. “I understand that you were summoned from the past. I also understand that you have extensive knowledge of this world, for reasons that you can’t comprehend. But I don’t understand how you could have resisted my abilities to well. Nobody, not even the cat, could shake me off as easily as you.”

That’s right… Although she felt the same sensations that Konoe did, they weren’t nearly as strong as portrayed in the anime. 

“I honestly have no clue, Verg. Perhaps it doesn’t take full effect on walking corpses.”

“Maybe…” he trailed off in thought. “Would you be willing to try it again? The fact that you were unconscious could have contributed to the end result.” 

She knows where this is going. He’s the devil of pleasure. Don’t think for one second that dirty thoughts don’t cross his mind. Of all the devils, he has to be the most perverted one in existence. It’s his job. It’s what he did best. 

“Haha…no.”

A smirk appeared on his face.   
“If you’re just being cautious, I promise I have no hidden meaning behind it. Unless, of course…”

Ugh, don’t make her gag! The last thing she needs is to be promiscuous with a devil- a devil of all things. 

“No, no thank you. I’m good with the little innocence I have left.”

A chuckle vibrated in his throat. It was one of pure amusement. 

Glad to entertain…

“We should get back. It’s been five minutes.”

As they turned to walk the other way, something caught Kimberly’s eye. It was something very…shiny.

Verg took notice of what she was looking at. For a while he stared, periodically looking back between her and the shiny object.

“Do you want it?” 

The necklace was beautiful. It had many diamonds the chain, including a circle-shaped diamond that hung in the center. 

“Hum?” 

“Do you want it,” he repeated.

“Oh, no. I was just looking.” 

‘So she likes diamonds,’ the devil thought. ‘Interesting…’


	17. Chapter 16:

It was dusk. She and Rai were outside, for reasons unknown to her. He just told her to follow him; simple as that.

“Rai, what are we doing out here? It’s freezing.” 

Turning to her, he outstretched a hand. In it, he held his long sword. 

He was…giving it to her? What for? 

“Take it.” 

She complied, the weight of the blade making her arm nearly drop. She quickly balanced herself, and sighed. 

“Now what?” 

Rai drew his shorter sword, and got into a stance. 

“Now we begin.” 

Then, he attacked. 

Sidestepping immediately, she gave a girly squeak. She turned to return the attack, now knowing that her training had begun.

Huh, she almost forgot that she said she’d be his Sanga. In the show, Rai had to train Konoe as well. Though, it wasn’t quite like this. 

In a practiced motion, Rai spun around and knocked her weapon out of her hand with ease. It sored through the air so fast that, when it stopped, it was sticking out of a tree. 

With a gawking expression, she slowly turned back to a pompous-looking Rai. 

“Although a Sanga’s job is to sing, there will be times where you will have to fight. I have taken it upon myself to teach you.”

She placed her hands on her hips, giving a small pout. 

“I can fight…”

“You can dodge well, you certainly know how to sing, but I’ve seen children with better fighting skills.” 

That’s nice of you to say, Rai. Tell her all she’s good for is singing and dodging. 

“Let me see your weapon.” He held out his hand, palm facing up. 

With a reluctant sigh, she pulled Firi’s knife out of her boot. Upon seeing it, Rai’s eye narrowed. Despite this, he never asked anything obtaining to where she got the dagger from. 

“It’s barely sharpened,” he commented, “Its light, and made of stainless steel. For you, it will do.”

He gave it back to her, and retrieved his long sword. Once again handing it to her, he got into his same-old stance. 

“Again.” 

~

What can she say? She had her ass handed to her many times, by Rai no less. He should have at least paired her with Konoe, and chaperoned the matches.

To add to this eventful night, this room painfully reminded her of an old Foster Home. It was a bad memory to say the least. 

She was forced to share a room with the family’s birth daughter. She was a spoiled brat, even if she was 9 years old. Someone needed to teach her a lesson in manners. 

Her brother wasn’t much better. He was around her age at the time, which was approximately 14 years old. All he did was sit in his room all day and play videogames. When he did take notice of Kimberly’s presents, it meant he wanted something from her. Normally, that’s homework or food related.   
The adults were a very busy, extremely stern, couple. They had rules on top of rules, on top of rules. When it was bedtime, you better be in bed or else. You had to have perfect manners at the dinner table, or they forced you to eat off the floor, with no silverware and no napkin. If you bugged them during work, they’d have a bitch-fit and give you an hour long lecture on ‘what it meant if they said they were busy’. She couldn’t watch TV for more than a half hour, but their kids could use it all day long if they so pleased. And worse of all; they destroyed her phone because they got a call from the school, saying she was text-messaging a friend during class. 

One: it wasn’t a friend. It was the Foster Center, and damn important (they told her that a new family asked for her). Two: she bought that phone out of her own money. They had no right to break it because they thought she was being troublesome.

Sitting up in bed, her green orbs moved to Rai. He was fast asleep, his chest slowly rising up and down in bed. 

She gently stood up, her bare feet coming in contact with the cold hard wood. When she was out of bed, she replaced ‘herself’ with a long pillow, and pulled the covers back to where they were. 

Nodding to herself, she exited the room, and slowly closed the door. The door itself didn’t creek, but the sound of it shutting was dull to her ears. If it was dull to her, then it had to be somewhat loud to a cat, right? 

Kimberly placed her ear on the wooden door, listening for any commotion.

…

The coast was clear.

Turning around, she came in contact with a red figure. Instantly, she clasped a hand over her mouth to muffle a yelp. 

Goddamn it Razel! 

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack,” she harshly whispered. 

“If I was trying, you’d be dead. What are you doing out of bed so late?”

“I can’t go to sleep.”

The ends of his lips curled ever-so gingerly. 

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” 

She tried to conceal a gradually forming blush by turning away, but the red-haired man simply turned her head again.

He was standing so…close. It was almost uncomfortable. 

His warm hand rested underneath her chin, as he stared into her eyes for a while. Soon enough, a small hum escaped his mouth. 

“You’re angry, and not just by my presence. I recall you feeling this way when I first introduced myself. I’m curious, what makes such sweet power originate from you?”

Could that be lingering anger from earlier, before she got out of bed? 

“I don’t know. I was just…reminiscing.” 

The warmth of Razel’s hand moved to her cheek, and she realized he was cupping it. 

“Your eyes,” he said, “I hadn’t noticed how beautiful they were. What a captivating color for a human. So warm- yet so cold...” 

This was getting weird. It had to come to an end before you can compare a tomato to her face. 

“Uh…thanks?” She got out of the situation smoothly, and took a few steps back. “It was nice talking to you…and weird. But nothing out of the ordinary for you guys, I’m sure.” 

A smile came to his face, thought he still remained silent. 

After scanning the hallway quickly, she let out a nervous sigh. “Bye.” 

And she ran for it. She didn’t stop until she reached the desk area, where Bardo was.

“Hey,” he greeted. “What’s up?” 

“Do you have anywhere that I can wash off?”

He gave Kimberly a funny look. 

“A shower in the back, or a tub…?” 

As if something clicked, his smile returned. 

“Outside behind the Inn,” he instructed. “The water is clean.”

Giving a nod, she gave her gratitude, and departed. 

So what if she’s in the future? She still had to take a bath, or rinse her hair. Do you have any idea how much she’s been sweating in the past few days? She wants to clean the dirt and oil off her skin.

Besides, she needed some time alone to gather herself. She has been surrounded by swinging dicks ever since she woke up in this joint! Even the people that summoned her were male. 

Making her way to the back, she looked down at the place she was directed. She was pleasantly surprised to see a waterhole. 

The oasis was in a long oval shape. A large waterfall fell off to the side, its droplets falling in a narrow valley, which led to the pool of water. 

“Don’t mind if I do~!” 

She walked towards the waterfall, and glanced around. When she was assured that no one was here, she began to strip behind one of the rocks. She folded and sat her clothes in a dry area, before leisurely easing her way into the tarn.


	18. Chapter 17:

She didn’t strip completely. She was still wearing her shirt and underwear, just in case she was interrupted.

Once submerged, she let out a content sigh. 

The water was cold. It felt nice, considering how warm and moist she was a while ago. She wouldn’t have been warm or moist, if this world had invented AC by now. 

How long have their species been alive for? And not a single cat thought ‘oh, I know what I’ll do. I’ll finally get off my ass and create something useful, like a fan or AC! After all, nobody likes to be hot and perspiring on a regular basis.’

Kimberly ducked her head underwater, getting her hair wet. She tried to comb it underwater with her fingers, in hopes that the grime would come out. But when she was finally getting situated, she heard the sound of footsteps. 

Yes, she could hear the sound of someone approaching, even if they would be walking on grass. Trust me, your senses open up when you’re standing in a pool of water, in silence, with nobody else around. 

Turning her head towards the noise, a shadow could be seen standing a few feet away. The dark ominous shadow had an unfamiliar shape to it. It was lean, not necessarily bulky, and the outline of curled horns was evident at the shadow’s ‘head’. In short, something dangerous was a yard away from her. It would be presumable to say that it was another devil, based on the silhouette.

So it decided to attack her while bathing? Nicely played, stranger…nicely played…

“Froud, please tell me that it’s you messing with me,” she said hopefully, “Maybe, just this one time, I’ll forgive you. Simply reassure me that it’s you, and not someone who wants the flesh off my bones.”

An orange light started to come from its hands. 

Nope, it’s not Froud! And it’s definitely not Verg. That bitch is yellow. 

Hitting the deck, she held her breath. She saw the orange light splash into the water, causing the pool to heat up at a quick rate. 

Raising her head out of the water to gasp for air, she screamed as loud as she could: “RAI!” 

As this shout left her throat, she felt it go dry. 

She was trapped between this shadow and the pool of water. If she tries to get out, she’s dead. If she keeps on dodging, the water will eventually become so hot that she will burn alive. She had no other option but to wait this out. 

Swimming over to her clothes, she dodged another ball of orange energy. 

The water was getting warmer. Just a degree higher and it will be hardly bearable. 

Taking a deep breath, she gripped her weapon, and faced the dark silhouette. It had the high ground. She’s screwed. But if she’s screwed, then she’s going to bring this fucker down with her. 

Just before she could make her move, she saw the shadow begin to crack. From the head down, small white cracks formed. As the cracks grew, the dark form started to crack. Eventually, the figure shattered into a million pieces. Dust particles flew everywhere, some disappearing like melting snow, and others blowing away with the soft breeze. 

Rai stood by, his sword out of its holster. He glanced around, until his eyes finally landed on Kimberly. 

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” 

She got out of the pool, shivering when the cold hair hit her warm lover half. She drained her long hair, and shook her head to clear it. 

“I’m fine.”

He walked over to her anyway, his eye scanning her arms- eventually traveling to her legs. 

“They’re red…”

Oh yeah, she has more sensitive skin than cats. 

“That’s okay, I promise I’m not hurt. Human skin just gets aggravated easier.”

He seemed to sigh when hearing her words. 

“Let’s get inside. The last thing we need is for you to get sick.”

Rai gently took her hand, and began to lead her inside. He never looked back to check up on her. He just knew that they had to get indoors. He wanted to get her indoors, and that was the end of it. 

Bardo was the one who opened the door. His smile was wiped completely clean when meeting Rai’s angry face. 

“You…this is your fault.” Rai let go of her hand and stepped closer. 

Bardo reflexively stepped back, not knowing what to say. He, for once, looked horrified. 

Taking the rim of his shirt, Rai lifted him a good inch off the ground, and threw him into a wall. 

“You knew she was outside, and you didn’t bother to tell anyone? She could have died! Because of you, she could have died.”

The devils gathered in the room, the cats following close behind. Konoe sprang into action, trying to get Rai’s hand off Bardo’s shirt. 

“Rai, calm down.”

“Rai, I’m not hurt.” As her words left her mouth, the cat’s ears twitched. 

For a moment or so, he did nothing. He said nothing. 

“You easily could have been… If I didn’t hear you screaming, you would be seriously injured or dead by now.”

“But I’m not,” she insisted, “It’s not his fault. He was just respecting my privacy. Nobody could have predicted something like this.”

At last, Rai released Bardo. He clicked his tongue irritably, and looked over at Kimberly. 

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” 

“I’m sure.” She glanced around the room, suddenly feeling…nude. “I’m going to go upstairs now.” 

She made her way to the stairs, and turned around. “Nothing is going to happen to me there,” she hinted. 

Once reaching her room, she looked around for some spare clothes. The Inn provided sleepwear. It will have to do.


	19. Chapter 18:

Kimberly woke up on the floor. For some reason, she had slept the entire night on the wooden ground. 

Lifting her body up, her eyes squinted. The window was open. Rai wasn’t in the room. A blanket was shifted beside her, like she kicked it off her body half way through the night. And a scent filled the air. 

Oh God…that smelled like real food! 

Scrambling to her feet, she made a mad-dash downstairs. Skipping stairs, she made her way into the kitchen. Bardo was preparing breakfast. Much to her dismay, he was making cat-food. 

“Hey, you’re up.” 

“What are you making?” She peered over him to see what he was doing.

He was chopping up foreign fruits, and putting together something that resembled a fruit salad. 

Before he could answer Kimberly’s question, she gave an exaggerated sigh. 

“Bardo, I need to have a serious talk with you.” 

He gave her his care-free look, a smile crossing his face. 

“Yes?” 

“You see…humans can’t eat this shit. Don’t get me wrong. What you’re making smells amazing. I just can’t eat it, or else my digestion will take a turn for the worse. So I need to borrow the kitchen.”

He stopped what he was doing, and set his knife down. 

“Alright, but I have to watch. My kitchen, my rules.” 

“Fair enough. Do you have dough, tomatoes, cheese, salt, flour, and sugar?” 

The tall shirtless cat nodded. He then turned to gather her ingredients. 

“Okay, I’m going to teach you a little something about the past. We humans loved Pizza. It’s Italian, which means it didn’t come from America- where we are right now. We Americans came to love Pizza, and started the tradition of ordering it whenever we have a party, or get together. You can make Pizza easily with these,” she gestured to what was on the counter, “and instructions. I will be your instructions.”

Bardo gave a nod, and glanced at what she was doing. He watched as she placed the dough on the counter, and grabbed the flour. She sprinkled the flour over the dough, time and time again, and flipped it over to mimic the action. 

When done, she began to roll it out, using her fingers. 

“Now this is the fun part. Pay attention.” 

She flipped the dough in mid-air, spinning it as if she has done it before. 

She has actually done this before. She hasn’t gotten the chance to make Pizza until scratch for ages. So when the idea popped in her head, it was hard to resist. 

When it was stretched out enough, she placed it back on the counter. As she evened the tough out, she started to sing: 

“What a splendid pie,  
Pizza-pizza pie,  
Every minute, every second,  
Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy,  
What a splendid pie,  
Pizza-pizza pie,  
Every minute, every second,  
Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy.”

A smile appearing, the male cat gently nudged her arm. 

“Is the singing necessary?”

Deadpanning, she faced him properly. 

“No, but it will taste better if you sing. You have to put your heart and soul into whatever you make, or else it won’t be a creation. It will be pain food.”  
Nodding, he started to help her with the dough.

“Pepperoni and green peppers,  
Mushrooms, olive, chives,  
Pepperoni and green peppers,  
Mushrooms, olive, chives.  
Need therapy, therapy,  
Advertising causes need,  
Need therapy, therapy,  
Advertising causes need.”

Taking the tomatoes, she handed them to Bardo. 

“Boil those. When they’re soft, grind ‘em until it looks like sauce, or something like sauce.” 

He followed her instructions, and watched her toss in salt and sugar into the grinding bowl. He seemed very interested. In fact, this was the quietest he’s ever been around her. 

“Now what?” 

“Now,” she sighed, “we put the tomato sauce on the dough. After that, we load on the cheese, and put the entire thing in the oven for about 18 minutes. Prepare to sing, Bardo.” 

And their voices meshed in the spacy kitchen. 

“What a splendid pie,  
Pizza-pizza pie,  
Every minute, every second,  
Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy,  
What a splendid pie,  
Pizza-pizza pie,  
Every minute, every second,  
Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy.  
Pepperoni and green peppers,  
Mushrooms, olive, chives,  
Pepperoni and green peppers,  
Mushrooms, olive, chives.  
Need therapy, therapy,  
Advertising causes need,  
Need therapy, therapy,  
Advertising causes need.”

They continued like this, even when the pizza was already in the oven. Eventually, they were dancing around and acting like complete idiots…until Rai entered the room.


	20. Chapter 19:

“Lemme hear pizza,” she chanted, unaware of the other cat’s presents.

“Pizza!” Bardo seemed oblivious to Rai’s presents as well. 

“Lemme hear pizza!” 

“Pizza!” 

As they made a full 180 turn, they saw Rai, looking at the two like he was tripping balls. 

“Tch.” 

“It’s nice to see you too, fuzz-ball,” Kimberly joked. “The food is almost done. I’m teaching Bardo how to make something called Pizza.” 

He stepped forward, his eye glancing between Bardo and Kitty. Finally, his emotionless orb scanned the room. 

It was a mess! Flour was on the floor from their earlier ‘flour fight’, tomato sauce was on the counter, a ¾ brick of cheese was gone and the rest was left wherever, and they were standing in the middle of the kitchen looking ridiculous. 

How did they look ridiculous you ask? Bardo was wearing a small box on his head like a hat, Kimberly was in her stained pajamas with a rolling pin in one hand, and they both had many pizza ingredients on their person. Bard was a victim to that last part more than Kitty, as he allowed her to draw on his face with tomato sauce. 

“Tch, idiots.” 

He turned to leave without another word.

As Bardo and Kimberly’s eyes met, a smile came to their faces in unison. 

“Lemme hear pizza!” 

“Pizza!” 

~

While she was bringing the pizza out, Bardo stood by. When seeing what they had created, his lips formed a wide grin. 

Setting the masterpiece on the counter, she set the cloth mitts to aside, and placed her hands on her hips. Nodding in approval, she looked over at Bardo. 

“We let it cool for a bit, before cutting the pizza in individual slices going,” she drew the lines with her finger in the air, “This way.” 

The striped cat nodded, and reached over to ruffle her hair. 

“Thanks, kid.” 

She attempted to fix her hair, giggling slightly at his nickname. 

“I’m not that young.” 

“You look like a kid to me.”

“That’s because I have one of those faces.” 

Nope, she knew she was young. Being 17 and a half is like being a new-born butterfly. Neither have any clue what the world is like, or what their predators will be. They have to wing everything they do, and pray to God it wasn’t the wrong choice. 

“Alright, it’s cool enough.” she took the knife near-by, and began to drag it along the cheesy dough. 

This would be so much easier if they had a Pizza cutter.

“Careful, the knives in here are sharp for a reason.” 

She waved her other hand to dismiss his comment, but much to her surprise, she nicked herself. 

“Seriously,” she groaned.

“I told you.” 

“Nuuuh~! Every knife in this place is probably razor sharp. I’d expect nothing less from an ex-bounty hunter.”

“I’m retired, so technically I’m not an ‘ex’ anything. That’s not including being an ex- in a relationship.”

Holding her cut finger up so that the bleeding would stop, she rolled her eyes. A few seconds passed, and Bardo fell silent for a while. 

“Aren’t you going to lick it?” He moved to the other side of her, watching her unfazed expression as blood trickled down her arm. 

“I can’t lick wounds like you guys. For us humans, that has the opposite effect.” 

“It gets worse? Then what do we do?” 

…

“I got it.” He leaned over, suddenly licking her finger wound.

“Gah!” She jumped back, holding her chest with her other hand. “What the hell was that for?” 

Bardo was amused. He was smiling and all. 

“Well, you can’t lick it. And we are in a kitchen. I can’t let you bleed all over the place.”

Kimberly scrambled to find words. 

“Unless, you wish to travel two miles to the nearest herb store, or have someone like…Rai do it for you.” 

Silver-tongued asshole…

As he watched her sigh, he beckoned her with his finger. 

“Come on, let me finish.” 

Slowly walking over to him, she outstretched her finger. “Just get it over with.”


	21. Chapter 20:

The pizza was served with what Bardo made; the fruit salad he was putting together, before Kimberly taught him the graces of ‘human food’.   
The devils in particular were interested in Kitty’s dish. In fact, they dug right in. 

The only human in the room was munching on her own slice, trying to ignore the glances from the cats. They were all periodically looking at her, watching her eat this thing named ‘pizza’. They didn’t dare venture out and try it themselves, oh no. That would be like committing one of the most deadly sins. 

“Guys, do I need to force-feed you? It isn’t going to attack you like a rabid squirrel. I’m just asking for one bite. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.” 

Asato gradually reached over, taking a slice of pizza. Konoe immediately followed, placing it on his plate. Bardo was next, leaving Rai with hardly anything in front of him. 

“Don’t think I won’t ask the devils to hold you down while I stuff it in your mouth. Trying new things is not a method of torture. God, you were like this with the apple too.” 

Staring at her expressionless, he finally took the smallest piece out of the pizza-pie. 

“Is this the reason why you can’t run a mile without panting like a dog?” 

Taking a berry out of the near-by salad, she threw it at Rai. He caught it with his hand, and popped it in his mouth.

“Excuse me if ladies where I come from don’t get Basic Training.”

A few devils laughed, some fighting off smiles. 

While she saw the other confused expressions, she rolled her eyes. “You know; armies of people that fight for their homeland? That’s what the military is. Basic Training is what you have to go through in order to join the army.”

Froud lifted his head with his usual smile. Only, it seemed more genuine.

“As I recall, women in that day and age were supposed to be feminine?” 

“Some of them were really haughty…and scary,” Verg added. “But you’d come across the occasional girl like her. You know, the ones that are tolerable.” 

Jerking his head in the direction of Kimberly, Rai faced Verg. 

“That is tolerable?” 

“Yes, she’s quite tame for a lady of her age,” Razel commented.

She flashed the red-haired man a mischievous glance, her eyes suddenly going to Kaltz. He was at the end of the table, his plate of pizza gone. 

Damn, he swallowed that thing whole! How did she not hear him chew like a cow? 

“Are you alright, Mr. Freeze?” 

“Yes.” 

Liar. Something was on his mind. 

“Alright, don’t be with the land of the living. But if something’s on your mind, feel free to express your thoughts. Nobody is going to condemn you for it.”

“I’d rather not think of it as condemning. It’s more senseless than argumentative.” 

Verg shoved the youngest devil playfully. In return, Kaltz closed his eyes as it happened, trying his best to brush it off. 

“Loosen up! Can’t you see we’re at a party?” 

Rai looked up from his plate, narrowing his eye at Verg the moment he heard what he had said. Konoe joined him, his mostly white ears drooping. 

“This is no party. Last night a devil attempted to kill Kitty. We have no idea who it was, if he will be back, or if he has allies.” 

“Our kind tends to stay in groups of three or more,” Razel said, “If there was one, I have no doubt there are more.” 

“Besides, devils don’t kill their prey,” Verg added.

Everyone faced him, wanting to know more. 

“She and Konoe know what I’m sayin’,” he paused to chuckle, “He probably just wanted to shake her up.” 

Come to think of it…that devil could have torn her limb from limb if he wanted to. Surely he has the power. Yet, he took his time and watched as she tried to scramble to safety. Did he get some sick pleasure out of seeing her in that desperate state? 

“How do we keep her out of their hands,” Rai questioned. 

“There are three stages she has to go through. He will need to oppress her, which devils do through dreams. Then he will force her to eat some part of him. The final stage is Temptation. If she manages to resist his power and turn him down, there’s not much he can do. However, if she can’t resist…I’m afraid her life will be in his hands. If he finds her useful in any way, he’ll probably turn her into one of us. But that rarely happens. He’ll probably want to eat her more than anything.” Froud sighed wearily. The mere thought of their victim being captured by someone else was giving him a headache. 

“Basically there’s no way to prevent this from happening, and whatever happens, happens,” Kitty assumed. 

“Not necessarily,” Kaltz glanced around the table for a moment, “They can’t take a victim if it has been claimed by another demon.” 

The room fell silent. Not only were the living taken back by the suggestion, but the devils were as well.   
Claimed by another demon? Did that mean one of these dorks had to frickin’ mark her? 

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell,” Konoe hissed. 

“I can’t agree to this either,” Asato stated. 

“I won’t let that happen,” Rai announced. 

Kimberly saw that they were waiting for her answer. Clearly, it didn’t matter what they thought. It mattered what SHE thought. After all, it was her choice and not theirs…

Disagree: Only in books 1-5  
Agree: Only in books 6-9

(A/N: Yeah…this one isn’t a choice yet because I haven’t finished the entire series yet. Sorry. Although I want to have the series done in one day, that wouldn’t be realistic. They’ll be done as soon as possible.)

“I appreciate that offer, I really do, but I don’t think I’d feel comfortable with that. What if I piss you off and you decide to suddenly off me? No thanks. So I think I speak for us when I say; we’d rather take care of things the old fashioned way.” 

The devils all shrugged casually. 

“Count us in then. We’d be damned if we let some other devil take our prize.” Froud gave a wolf-like smile, Verg and Razel joining him seconds later.   
Prize? What do they think she is? A stuffed animal you earn at a carnival?

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. After glancing at her friends and allies, a faint smile came to Kimberly’s face.

You know, she’s been away from home for almost five days. And she wouldn’t want to spend those long hours with anyone else. It was almost like the world that she came from wasn’t hers.

As corny as it sounds, this was home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE END OF BOOK 1 CHAPTER 1!

Expect Part 2 very soon. Part 2 will be Rai's Route. If you read the choices above, then you already know...  
I plan on making this Book 1 of a (hopefully) 9 or 10 book series. 

Rai's Route IS coming soon. A lot of people say that, and then wait ages for it to post, but I mean it. I'm on the last few chapters, so you won't have to wait with your hand on your ass for too much longer!

~Cat


	22. Author's Note

Part 2 is now posted! Most of it...At least you have something to read, right? 

It's called Love Is Not Void: Rai's Route Part 2. 

Thank you for your time. As always...

<3 Cat


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